Conveying system

Abstract

A conveyance system (1, 1I, 1V, 1W, 1X, 1Y, 1Z) is provided with: a plurality of conveyance path units (10, 10-1, 10-2) that apply driving force to a plurality of moving bodies (20); communication master stations (31, 31-1, 31-2, 31-3, 31-4) that are communicably connected to the transport path communication slave station (11) of the transport path unit; communication slave stations (32-32-1, 32-2) that are communicably connected to the communication master station; a position command generator (33) connected to the communication master station; a position generator (34) connected to the communication master station; a position controller (35) connected to the communication slave station and assigned to the moving body; and a current command generator (36, 36Z, 36I) that generates a current command value for the transport path unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveying system for moving a plurality of moving bodies along a conveying path. Background Art

[0002] In the field of FA (Factory Automation), in production lines for assembling products, packaging, and food packaging, a conveying system for conveying conveying objects is used between multiple workstations set up in and between production lines. In recent years, as a conveying system as described above, in order to move a moving body as a conveying object, a conveying path is divided into multiple control areas, and each control area has a control device for controlling the movement of the moving body. Thus, the conveying system that controls the movement of the moving body for each control area by the control device improves production efficiency and has therefore attracted attention.

[0003] The following patent document 1 discloses a linear track control system having a plurality of linear motor modules and an operation controller, and a conveying system having a trolley as a movable body that moves on a conveying line (conveying path) composed of a plurality of linear motor modules. The linear track control system disclosed in patent document 1 has a plurality of coil units, a plurality of control units, a position detection unit, and a distribution unit in each of the plurality of linear motor modules. In the linear track control system as described above, if a trolley enters the linear motor module, the position of the trolley is detected by the position detection unit, and a control unit is allocated to one trolley by the distribution unit. In addition, the control unit allocated to one trolley calculates the current control information, and controls the trolley by supplying a driving current according to the current control information to the required coil unit in order to move the trolley to which the control unit is allocated.

[0004] In Patent Document 1, if one control unit is assigned to one trolley, then when the position of the assigned trolley exists on one coil unit in the linear motor module, control is implemented in a manner that a driving current is supplied to the one coil unit where the trolley exists. In addition, when the position of the assigned trolley exists near the boundary of two adjacent coil units in the linear motor module, control is implemented in a manner that a driving current is supplied to two coil units near the boundary where the trolley exists. In addition, in the linear track control system disclosed in Patent Document 1, if multiple trolleys enter one linear motor module, one control unit is allocated to one trolley by the allocation unit, but if the trolleys enter in excess of the number of control units possessed by the linear motor module and the control unit to be allocated does not exist, an error message is sent to the operation controller by the allocation unit.

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 6490273 Summary of the invention

[0006] In the linear track control system disclosed in the above-mentioned patent document 1, when a trolley enters a linear motor module having a plurality of coil units and a plurality of control units, one control unit is allocated to one trolley to control the movement of the trolley. Therefore, the linear track control system controls the movement of the trolley by one control unit allocated to one trolley even when the trolley is near the boundary of adjacent coil units in one linear motor module, thereby preventing the trolley from being controlled simultaneously by multiple control units, and can control the movement of the trolley with high precision. Moreover, when the position of the assigned trolley is near the boundary of two adjacent coil units in the linear motor module, the one control unit allocated to one trolley controls the trolley by supplying a driving current to the two coil units near the boundary where the trolley exists. Thus, the linear track control system prevents the driving force applied to the trolley from being halved in one linear motor module, and does not need to have a high-cost electrical circuit that is designed to supply the driving force to the trolley as obtained from two coil units through one coil unit.

[0007] However, the conveying system moves the trolley on a conveying path formed by a plurality of linear motor modules. Therefore, the conveying system is also required to be able to control the movement of the trolley with high precision at the boundary of adjacent linear motor modules in the conveying system, and it is not necessary to have a high-cost electrical circuit that assumes that a driving force to the trolley is supplied by one coil unit as obtained from two coil units. In addition, the conveying system moves a plurality of trolleys along the conveying path, but in order to improve production efficiency, it is preferable not to stop the conveying system frequently due to errors related to any control.

[0008] On the other hand, regarding the linear track control system disclosed in Patent Document 1, as described above, within one linear motor module, even if the trolley exists at the boundary of adjacent coil units, it can be controlled by one control unit, and the driving current is supplied to multiple coil units by one control unit. However, regarding the linear track control system disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the trolley exists at the boundary of adjacent linear motor modules, the movement of one trolley is controlled simultaneously by two control units, namely, a control unit of one linear motor module and a control unit of another linear motor module. Therefore, there is a problem with the linear track control system disclosed in Patent Document 1, that is, it is difficult to control the movement of the trolley with high precision at the boundary of adjacent linear motor modules.

[0009] In addition, regarding the linear track control system disclosed in Patent Document 1, when a trolley exists at the boundary of adjacent linear motor modules, if one trolley is controlled by using a control unit of the adjacent linear motor module, the control unit of one linear motor module cannot supply a driving current to the coil unit of the other linear motor module, so the driving force applied to the trolley is halved. In the above case, in order for the trolley to obtain the same driving force as when driving two adjacent coil units, the linear track control system disclosed in Patent Document 1 needs to supply twice the driving current to one coil unit that can be controlled by the control unit of one linear motor module to supply the driving current, which has the problem of high cost of the electrical circuit.

[0010] In addition, in the linear track control system disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the number of trolleys exceeds the number of control units of the linear motor module and enters the linear motor module, if the control unit to be assigned does not exist, an error message is sent to the operation controller through the assigning unit, and the trolley control of all linear motor modules will stop. In addition, since the linear track control system disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a control unit in the linear motor module, in order to avoid the problem of stopping the trolley control of the linear motor module, it is necessary to have the same number of control units in all linear motor modules as the number of trolleys as moving bodies moving on the conveying path of the conveying system, and there is a problem of large-scale and high cost of the control system caused by the increase of control units.

[0011] The present invention is proposed to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a conveying system in which a plurality of driving elements for imparting driving force to a moving body are arranged adjacent to each other, the movement of the moving body can be controlled with high precision even at the boundaries between adjacent conveying path units, the cost increase of the electrical circuit included in one driving element can be suppressed, the control system does not become large-scale and costly, and the control stop of the moving body of the conveying system can be suppressed.

[0012] The conveying system according to the present invention comprises: a plurality of conveying path units, which constitute a moving path for a plurality of moving bodies to move and provide driving force to the moving bodies; a communication master station, which is communicatively connected to a conveying path communication slave station provided in the conveying path unit; a communication slave station, which is communicatively connected to the communication master station; a position command generator, which is connected to the communication master station and generates a position command value for each of the plurality of moving bodies, i.e., a position command value for the moving body; a position generator, which is connected to the communication master station and generates position information for each of the plurality of moving bodies, i.e., position information for the moving body; a position controller, which is connected to the communication slave station and allocated to the moving body and generates a driving command value for the moving body based on the position command value for the moving body, the position information for the moving body, or a position deviation obtained from the position command value for the moving body and the position information for the moving body; and a current command generator, which generates a current command value for the conveying path unit based on the driving command value for the moving body and the position information for the moving body. Furthermore, the communication master station implements a first communication of sending the position command value for the moving body and the position information or the position deviation for the moving body to the communication slave station. On this basis, when the current command generator is connected to the communication master station, the communication slave station implements the second communication of sending the driving command value of the moving body to the communication master station, and the communication master station implements the third communication of sending the current command value of the conveying path unit to the conveying path communication slave station. In addition, when the current command generator is connected to the communication slave station, the communication slave station implements the fourth communication of sending the current command value of the conveying path unit to the communication master station, and the communication master station implements the third communication. Furthermore, when the current command generator is connected to the conveying path communication slave station, the communication slave station implements the second communication, and the communication master station implements the fifth communication of sending the driving command value of the moving body and the position information of the moving body to the conveying path communication slave station.

[0013] Effects of the Invention

[0014] In the conveying system of the present invention, the conveying path units having a plurality of driving elements for imparting driving force to the moving body are arranged adjacent to each other, and the movement of the moving body can be controlled with high precision even at the boundary between the adjacent conveying path units, and the cost increase of the electrical circuit included in the conveying path unit can be suppressed. In addition, in the conveying system of the present invention, the control system is not large-scale and costly, and the control stop of the moving body of the conveying system can be suppressed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the transport system according to the first embodiment.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the transport path unit and the moving body according to the first embodiment.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the transport path unit according to the first embodiment.

[0018] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the control controller according to the first embodiment.

[0019] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example of communication control in the communication master station according to the first embodiment.

[0020] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the control controller according to the first embodiment.

[0021] Figure 7 This is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the control controller according to the first embodiment.

[0022] Figure 8 This is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the transport path unit according to the first embodiment.

[0023] Fig. 9 This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a transportation system according to the second embodiment.

[0024] Fig.10 This is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the control controller according to the second embodiment.

[0025] Fig.11 This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the structure of the transportation system involved in the third embodiment.

[0026] Fig.12 This is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the control controller according to the third embodiment.

[0027] Fig.13 This is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the control controller according to the third embodiment.

[0028] Fig.14 This is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the transport path unit according to the third embodiment.

[0029] Fig.15 This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the structure of a transportation system according to the fourth embodiment.

[0030] Fig.16 This is a diagram showing an example of communication control in the communication master station involved in the fourth embodiment.

[0031] Fig.17This is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the control controller according to the fourth embodiment.

[0032] Fig.18 This is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the control controller involved in the fourth embodiment.

[0033] Fig.19 This is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the transport path unit according to the fourth embodiment.

[0034] Fig. 20 This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the structure of the transportation system involved in the fifth embodiment.

[0035] Fig.21 This is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the control controller according to the fifth embodiment.

[0036] Fig. 22 This is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the control controller involved in the fifth embodiment.

[0037] Fig.23 This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the structure of a transportation system involved in the sixth embodiment.

[0038] Fig.24 This is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the control controller involved in the sixth embodiment.

[0039] Fig.25 This is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the transport path unit according to the sixth embodiment.

[0040] Fig.26 This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the structure of a transportation system involved in Embodiment 7.

[0041] Fig. 27 This is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a current command generator of a control controller according to the seventh embodiment.

[0042] Fig.28 This is a flowchart related to the learning process of the current command generator involved in the seventh embodiment.

[0043] Fig.29 This is a flowchart related to the estimation process of the current command generator involved in the seventh embodiment.

[0044] Fig.30 It is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a transport path unit and a moving body according to a modified example.

[0045] Fig.31It is a schematic diagram showing an example of the structure of a transport system according to a modification. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

[0047] Implementation method 1.

[0048] Figure 1 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the structure of the conveying system involved in the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 As shown, the transport system 1 includes: a plurality of transport path units 10A to 10H, which constitute a transport path of a plurality of moving bodies 20A to 20C; a control controller 30, which controls the operation of the plurality of moving bodies 20A to 20C; and a power supply unit 40, which supplies power to the transport path units 10A to 10H. In addition, the plurality of moving bodies 20A to 20C are configured to move along the transport path constituted by the transport path units 10A to 10H. In addition, in the present invention, the plurality of transport path units 10A to 10H are sometimes simply referred to as transport path units 10 when there is no need to distinguish between them. In addition, in the present invention, the plurality of moving bodies 20A to 20C are sometimes simply referred to as moving bodies 20 when there is no need to distinguish between them.

[0049] In addition, in the conveying system 1, a PLC (Programmable logic controller) (not shown) that gives a command to execute sequence control from a higher level to the control controller 30, an HMI (Human machine interface) (not shown) that is used to input parameters by an operator and confirm the operating status of the system, etc. can be connected to the control controller 30.

[0050] exist Figure 1 In the transport system 1 shown, the control controller 30 is connected to the transport path units 10 via the first communication line 50 , and the transport path units 10 are connected to adjacent transport path units 10 via the second communication line 60 . The transport path units 10A to 10H are connected to the power supply unit 40 via the power supply line 70 .

[0051] Figure 1The control controller 30 and one conveying path unit 10 are connected through the first communication line 50, and the adjacent conveying path units 10 are connected to each other through the second communication line 60, thereby forming a communication network between the control controller 30 and the conveying path unit 10 through a daisy chain connection. However, the communication network between the control controller 30 and the conveying path unit 10 may not be a daisy chain connection. For example, the communication network between the control controller 30 and the conveying path unit 10 may be a star connection, that is, the control controller 30 and the communication hub are connected through a communication line, and the communication hub and the conveying path units 10A to 10H are connected through a communication line via a communication line extending from the communication hub in the number of each conveying path unit 10. In addition, the following method may be used, that is, the control controller 30 and the conveying path units 10A to 10H are connected through a communication line via a communication line extending from the control controller 30 in the number of each conveying path unit 10.

[0052] Furthermore, the connection between the control controller 30 and the conveying path unit 10 and the connection between the conveying path units 10 are connected via the wired first communication line 50 and the second communication line 60, but they may be connected wirelessly. That is, the connection between the control controller 30 and the conveying path unit 10 and the connection between the conveying path units may be communicated via any communication unit.

[0053] A positive bus bar and a negative bus bar pass through the power line 70. The positive bus bar is connected to the positive electrode of the power unit 40, and the negative bus bar is connected to the negative electrode of the power unit 40.

[0054] in addition, Figure 1 A multi-point connection method is shown, and the transport path units 10A to 10H are each connected to a common power line 70, and share the power supplied from the power supply unit 40. However, the connection between the transport path unit 10 and the power supply unit 40 may not be a multi-point connection method. For example, the connection between the power supply unit 40 and the transport path unit 10 may be a daisy chain connection method in which the power supply unit 40 and one transport path unit 10 are connected via a power line, and adjacent transport path units 10 are connected to each other via power lines. In addition, the following method may be used, that is, the transport system 1 has a plurality of power supply units, and the plurality of transport path units 10 are connected to one power supply unit via power lines, thereby forming a power domain in which the power supply to the transport path unit 10 is dispersed.

[0055] exist Figure 1In the transport system 1 shown, a plurality of transport path units 10A to 10H include transport path units 10A, 10B, 10E, and 10F that form a linear track and transport path units 10C, 10D, 10G, and 10H that form a curved track, and these plurality of transport path units 10 are connected to form a transport path for a moving body 20. The transport system 1 is a system that controls a driving element 12 included in the transport path unit 10 based on control data output from a control controller 30, thereby enabling the moving body 20 to move along the transport path.

[0056] exist Figure 1 , the transport system 1 is shown as an example in which a plurality of transport path units 10A to 10H are connected to form a closed-loop transport path. Figure 1 In the embodiment, the transport system 1 has eight transport path units 10, but the number of the transport path units 10 is not particularly limited. Figure 1 For example, the conveying path unit 10 may be a Y-shaped, T-shaped, cross-shaped, or other shape having various tracks. That is, the conveying system 1 can have various conveying paths by combining conveying path units 10 of various shapes. Furthermore, the conveying path may be configured as a path having a starting point and an end point. Figure 1 In the figure, the transport system 1 includes three moving bodies 20A to 20C, but the number of the moving bodies 20 is not limited to three, and a necessary number may be provided.

[0057] This embodiment 1 describes each structure using a moving magnetic linear conveying system as an example, that is, the movable body 20 has a magnet, and the conveying path unit 10 has a coil. These magnets and coils constitute a moving magnetic linear motor, whereby the movable body 20 moves along the conveying path formed by the conveying path unit 10.

[0058] Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the transport path unit and the moving body according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The transport path units 10A to 10H may have different numbers of driving elements 12 depending on the shape, but they have the same structure except for the number of driving elements 12. Figure 2 The figure shows one conveying path unit 10. In addition, since the moving bodies 20A to 20C have the same structure, Figure 2 The middle figure shows a moving body 20. Figure 2 A direction along a direction in which the conveyance path formed by the conveyance path unit 10 extends, that is, a path direction is shown as an X-axis.

[0059] like Figure 2As shown, the moving body 20 has a moving member magnet group 22, and the moving member magnet group 22 is arranged on the moving body base 21 along the X-axis direction and is configured with S-pole magnets and N-pole magnets. Figure 2 In the figure, the movable magnet group 22 shows one S-pole magnet and one N-pole magnet, but any number of S-pole magnets and N-pole magnets can be arranged alternately along the X-axis direction. The electromagnetic field generated by the coil 121 of the conveying path unit 10 described later and the magnetic field generated by the movable magnet group 22 interact with each other, thereby obtaining a driving force for the movable body 20 to move.

[0060] The moving body 20 has a position detection magnet group 23 on the moving body base 21. The position detection magnet group 23 is used to detect the position of the moving body 20 by a position sensor 131 included in the scale 13 described later. Figure 2 In the figure, the position detection magnet group 23 is illustrated by arranging four S-pole magnets and four N-pole magnets alternately along the X-axis direction, but the number of S-pole magnets and N-pole magnets as the position detection magnet group 23 can be arranged alternately along the X-axis direction in any number.

[0061] In the moving body 20, the movable member magnet group 22 is arranged in a position opposite to the coil 121 described later in the moving body substrate 21, and the position detection magnet group 23 is arranged in a position opposite to the position sensor 131 described later in the moving body substrate 21. Therefore, the movable member magnet group 22 and the position detection magnet group 23 are arranged in different positions in the moving body substrate 21.

[0062] Furthermore, the movable body 20 does not necessarily have the position detection magnet group 23. When the movable body 20 does not have the position detection magnet group 23, the movable member magnet group 22 is arranged at a position where the magnetic field can be detected by the position sensor 131 described later, and the movable member magnet group 22 can also serve as the position detection magnet group 23.

[0063] like Figure 2 As shown, the conveying path unit 10 has: a conveying path communication slave station 11, which sends and receives control data with the control controller 30 and other conveying path units 10; a plurality of driving elements 12, which provide driving force to the moving body 20; a scale 13, which has a plurality of position sensors 131; and a position operator 14, which calculates the scale detection information based on the detection signal output from the position sensor 131. Figure 2In the figure, one of the driving elements 12 is shown surrounded by a dot-dash line for convenience of explanation. In addition, the conveying path unit 10 has an internal power bus connected to the power line 70, and the internal power bus is composed of a positive side power bus connected to the positive bus of the power line 70 and a negative side power bus connected to the negative bus of the power line 70. A capacitor 15 is arranged between the positive side power bus and the negative side power bus.

[0064] In addition, when it is necessary to distinguish and describe the conveying path communication slave station 11, the driving element 12, the scale 13, the position sensor 131, and the position calculator 14 for each conveying path unit 10, the conveying path communication slave station 11, the driving element 12, the scale 13, the position sensor 131, and the position calculator 14 are described in the present invention by being labeled with the same letter codes as the letter codes labeled for the conveying path unit 10. For example, the conveying path communication slave station 11, the driving element 12, the scale 13, the position sensor 131, and the position calculator 14 included in the conveying path unit 10A are described as the conveying path communication slave station 11A, the driving element 12A, the scale 13A, the position sensor 131A, and the position calculator 14A.

[0065] The conveying path communication slave station 11 is an interface for transmitting and receiving control data with the control controller 30 and for transmitting and receiving control data with the adjacent conveying path unit 10. When the conveying system 1 connects the connection with the control controller 30 and the conveying path unit 10 by daisy chain connection, the conveying path communication slave station 11 of one conveying path unit 10 connected to the control controller 30 is connected to the first communication line 50 for connecting to the control controller 30 and the second communication line 60 for connecting to the adjacent conveying path unit 10. In addition, the conveying path communication slave station 11 of the conveying path unit 10 that is not connected to the control controller 30 but is sandwiched by the conveying path unit 10 (for example, the conveying path unit 10B sandwiched by the conveying path unit 10A and the conveying path unit 10C) is connected to two second communication lines 60 for connecting to the adjacent conveying path units 10.

[0066] When the conveying path communication slave station 11 transmits and receives control data with the control controller 30 and when the conveying path communication slave station 11 transmits and receives control data with the adjacent conveying path unit 10, it may adopt a fixed-cycle communication in which communication is performed at a predetermined communication cycle set arbitrarily, or it may adopt an aperiodic communication in which a predetermined communication cycle is not set. The control data transmitted and received by the conveying path communication slave station 11 is data for controlling the movement of the moving body 20 in the conveying system 1, and includes a current command value and scale detection information described later.

[0067] The driving elements 12 are continuously arranged along the X-axis direction of the conveying path unit 10, and provide driving force to the moving body 20 entering the conveying path unit 10 based on the control data received from the conveying path communication slave station 11. Figure 2 , an example in which nine driving elements 12 are arranged in the conveying path unit 10 is shown. One driving element 12 includes: a coil 121 that generates an electromagnetic field for providing a driving force to the moving body 20; an inverter circuit 122 that controls the current supplied to the coil 121 to generate an electromagnetic field; a current sensor 123 that detects the actual current value RA supplied to the coil 121; and a current controller 124 that controls the operation of the inverter circuit 122. The following describes the various structures of the driving element 12.

[0068] In addition, when it is necessary to distinguish and describe the coil 121, the inverter circuit 122, the current sensor 123, and the current controller 124 for each conveying path unit 10, the coil 121, the inverter circuit 122, the current sensor 123, and the current controller 124 are described by the same letter codes as the letter codes affixed to the conveying path unit 10 in this specification. For example, the coil 121, the inverter circuit 122, the current sensor 123, and the current controller 124 included in the driving element 12A of the conveying path unit 10A are described as the coil 121A, the inverter circuit 122A, the current sensor 123A, and the current controller 124A.

[0069] The coil 121 is a winding type coil formed by winding a conductive winding around an iron core, and a current sensor 123 is connected to one end of the winding. One end of the winding of the coil 121 is connected to the inverter circuit 122 via the current sensor 123, and the other end is connected to the inverter circuit 122, thereby connecting the two ends of the winding to the inverter circuit 122.

[0070] The inverter circuit 122 is an electrical circuit for controlling the current supplied to the coil 121. That is, the inverter circuit 122 is an electrical circuit included in one driving element 12. One end of the inverter circuit 122 is connected to the positive side power bus, and the other end is connected to the negative side power bus, and power is supplied from the power supply unit 40 via the power line 70. In addition, the inverter circuit 122 is connected to the current controller 124 via the internal bus. The inverter circuit 122 operates based on a control signal output from the current controller 124 described later for controlling the operation of the inverter circuit 122, and operates in a manner that the required current is supplied from the power supply unit 40 to the coil 121. In addition, the inverter circuit 122 can be used in an electrical circuit manner that matches the power supplied from the power supply unit 40. For example, in the case of single-phase power, a single-phase full-bridge circuit or a single-phase half-bridge circuit can be used, and in the case of three-phase power, a three-phase full-bridge circuit or a three-phase half-bridge circuit can be used.

[0071] The current sensor 123 is connected to one end of the winding of the coil 121 and detects an actual current value RA which is the value of the current supplied to the coil 121 and actually flows through the coil 121. The detected actual current value RA is output to the current controller 124 via the internal bus.

[0072] The current controller 124 is a calculation circuit that calculates a control signal for controlling the operation of the inverter circuit 122 so as to control the current supplied to the coil 121 through the inverter circuit 122. The current controller 124 is connected to the transmission path communication slave station 11 and the current sensor 123 via an internal bus. The current controller 124 calculates the voltage value of the current supplied to the coil 121 based on the current command value included in the control data received from the transmission path communication slave station 11 and the actual current value RA detected by the current sensor 123. The calculation of the voltage value by the current controller 124 can be calculated by, for example, PID (Proportional-Integral-Differential) control based on the deviation between the current command value and the actual current value RA. The current controller 124 generates a PWM (Pulse-Width-Modulation) signal obtained by comparing the calculated voltage value with the triangular wave of the voltage value in the power supply line 70. The PWM signal is a control signal for controlling the operation of the inverter circuit 122. The current controller 124 outputs a control signal to the inverter circuit 122 via the internal bus.

[0073] The scale 13 outputs a detection signal for obtaining the position of the moving body 20 in the conveying path unit 10. The scale 13 is arranged along the X-axis direction in the conveying path unit 10, and has a plurality of position sensors 131 for detecting the position detection magnet group 23 or the movable member magnet group 22 provided on the moving body 20. In addition, in the following description, the structure in which the moving body 20 has the position detection magnet group 23 is described, but in the case where the moving body 20 does not have the position detection magnet group 23, the position detection magnet group 23 can also be replaced by the movable member magnet group 22.

[0074] The position sensor 131 is a sensor capable of detecting the magnetic field generated by the position detection magnet group 23, and can be, for example, a Hall sensor or a magnetoresistive sensor. The plurality of position sensors 131 are located in the scale 13 at positions opposite to the position detection magnet group 23 provided on the moving body 20, and are arranged along the conveying path formed by the conveying path unit 10. Figure 2 In the example, nine position sensors 131 are arranged along the X-axis direction on the scale 13 in one conveying path unit 10. However, the number of position sensors 131 arranged on the scale 13 in one conveying path unit 10 may be a desired number that matches the conditions such as the length of the conveying path of one conveying path unit 10, the size of the moving body 20, and the detection frequency of the moving body 20.

[0075] When a Hall sensor is used, for example, the position sensor 131 may be a Hall sensor having two Hall elements arranged at an interval of half the magnetizing interval of the position detection magnet group 23. The magnetizing interval is the distance from one end of an N-pole magnet (or S-pole magnet) to one end of an adjacent S-pole magnet (or N-pole magnet) on the opposite side of the one end in the direction in which the N-pole magnets and the S-pole magnets of the position detection magnet group 23 are arranged. That is, Figure 2 The magnetization pitch in the position detection magnet group 23 shown is the length of one N-pole magnet or one S-pole magnet in the X-axis direction. The scale 13 having the Hall sensor as described above as the position sensor 131 outputs a SIN wave corresponding to the N-pole magnet of the position detection magnet group 23 and a COS wave corresponding to the S-pole magnet as detection signals when the moving body 20 passes through one position sensor 131 of the scale 13. The SIN wave and COS wave output from the scale 13 are detected by an AD (Analig-to-Digital) converter not shown in the figure and obtained by the position operator 14 described later. In addition, the scale 13 is an example of a position detector.

[0076] The position operator 14 is a calculation circuit that calculates the scale detection information based on the detection signal output from the position sensor 131. The position operator 14 is connected to the conveying path communication slave station 11 via an internal bus. When the detection signal output from the scale 13 is a SIN wave and a COS wave, the position operator 14 obtains the SIN wave and the COS wave via an AD converter not shown in the figure, and performs an inverse tangent function (ARCTAN) calculation based on the obtained SIN wave and COS wave. As a result, the position operator 14 can calculate the relative position of the position sensor 131 of the moving body 20 relative to the scale 13 as the scale detection information. Moreover, the position operator 14 outputs the scale detection information to the conveying path communication slave station 11. The scale detection information is an example of control data sent by the conveying path communication slave station 11.

[0077] Figure 3 1 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the conveying path unit according to the first embodiment. The hardware of the conveying path unit 10 includes a communication interface (communication I / F) 1001 functioning as a conveying path communication slave station 11, a processor 1002 functioning as a current controller 124 and a position calculator 14, a memory 1003 for reading and writing various data used in various calculations in the processor 1002, and the above-mentioned coil 121, inverter circuit 122, current sensor 123, and scale 13.

[0078] The processor 1002 is a processor that can operate on the control signal as the current controller 124 and the scale detection information as the position operator 14. For example, a microprocessor, a single-chip microcomputer, a microcomputer, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) can be used. The memory 1003 includes a non-volatile memory for storing various operation programs executed by the processor 1002 and a volatile memory that becomes a working memory during each operation in the processor 1002. In addition, Figure 3 In the figure, the hardware structure of the conveying path unit 10 is illustrated as an example of a single processor 1002, but it may be a structure having a plurality of processors, such as a processor functioning as the current controller 124 and a processor functioning as the position calculator 14. In addition, the hardware structure of the conveying path unit 10 may be a structure having a processor functioning as the current controller 124 as a plurality of processors.

[0079] Figure 4 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the control controller according to the first embodiment. Figure 4As shown, the control controller 30 includes: a communication master station 31, which transmits and receives various command values ​​and information for generating control data sent from the control controller 30 with a communication slave station 32; a communication slave station 32, which transmits and receives various command values ​​and information for generating control data sent from the control controller 30 with the communication master station 31; a position command generator 33, which generates a position command value of the moving body 20; a position generator 34, which generates position information of the moving body 20 in the conveying path of the conveying system 1 based on the scale detection information received from the conveying path unit 10; a position controller 35, which generates a drive command value of the moving body 20 based on the position command value of the moving body 20 and the position information of the moving body 20; and a current command generator 36, which generates current command values ​​of all the conveying path units 10 in the conveying path of the conveying system 1 based on the drive command value of the moving body 20 and the position information of the moving body 20. Hereinafter, various command values ​​and information for generating control data are sometimes referred to as generated data.

[0080] The communication master station 31 is an interface for transmitting and receiving generated data including various command values ​​and information with a communication slave station 32 described later, and for transmitting and receiving control data with a conveying path communication slave station 11 provided in the conveying path unit 10. The communication master station 31 is configured to be communicatively connected to the communication slave station 32 via an internal bus in the control controller 30, and to transmit and receive generated data including various command values ​​and information with the communication slave station 32 at a constant communication cycle. In addition, the communication master station 31 is configured to be able to perform one-to-many communication with the communication slave station 32 and the conveying path communication slave station 11.

[0081] Furthermore, the communication master station 31 is configured to be connected to the position command generator 33, the position generator 34, and the current command generator 36 described later via the internal bus in the control controller 30, and can transmit the generated data including various command values ​​and information to the position command generator 33, the position generator 34, and the current command generator 36. In addition, the specific description of the connection between the communication master station 31, the communication slave station 32, and the conveying path communication slave station 11 of the conveying path unit 10, and the specific description of the communication control related to the transmission and reception performed by the communication master station 31 with the communication slave station 32 and the transmission and reception with the conveying path communication slave station 11 of the conveying path unit 10 will be described later.

[0082] The communication slave station 32 is an interface for transmitting and receiving generation data including various command values ​​and information with the communication master station 31, and for transmitting and receiving control data with the conveying path communication slave station 11 of the conveying path unit 10. The communication slave station 32 is connected to the communication master station 31 via an internal bus in the control controller 30 so as to be able to communicate. In the first embodiment, the communication slave station 32 is configured as follows: Figure 4As shown in FIG. 1 , the communication slave stations 32A, 32B, and 32C are composed of three communication slave stations 32A, 32B, and 32C. When there is no need to distinguish and explain these communication slave stations 32A, 32B, and 32C, they may be simply referred to as communication slave stations 32.

[0083] The communication slave station 32 is configured to be connected to a position controller 35 described later via an internal bus in the control controller 30, and can transmit various command values ​​and information to the position controller 35. Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 1 , there are three position controllers 35A, 35B, and 35C, and the communication slave station 32A is connected to the position controller 35A via an internal bus, the communication slave station 32B is connected to the position controller 35B via an internal bus, and the communication slave station 32C is connected to the position controller 35C via an internal bus. That is, the communication slave stations 32 are provided in the same number as the number of the position controllers 35 so that one-to-one communication with the position controllers 35 is possible. In addition, the specific description of the position controllers 35A, 35B, and 35C will be described later.

[0084] The position command generator 33 is a calculation circuit that generates a position command value of the moving body 20. Figure 1 As shown, when there are three moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C in the conveying system 1, the position command generator 33 generates a position command value for the moving body 20A, a position command value for the moving body 20B, and a position command value for the moving body 20C, respectively. That is, the position command generator 33 generates a position command value for each moving body 20 in the conveying system 1, that is, a position command value for the moving body 20. In addition, the position command value is a command value indicating a target position in the conveying path of the moving body 20, etc. The position command generator 33 outputs the generated position command value to the communication master station 31. In addition, the position command value is an example of various command values ​​for generating control data, and is generated data.

[0085] When generating the position command value, the position command generator 33 can generate the position command of each mobile body 20 based on the position command generation program stored in the memory of the control controller 30. In addition, when generating the position command value, the position command generator 33 can also generate the position command value of each mobile body 20 based on external information such as a command from a PLC (Programmable logic controller) not shown connected to the control controller 30 or an operator command from an HMI (Human machine interface).

[0086] The position generator 34 is a calculation circuit that generates the position information of the moving body 20 in the conveying path of the conveying system 1 based on the scale detection information received from the conveying path unit 10. The position generator 34 calculates the position information of the moving body 20 in the conveying path based on the scale detection information included in the control data received from all the conveying path units 10 constituting the conveying path.

[0087] like Figure 1 As shown, the moving path of the conveying system 1 is composed of conveying path units 10A to 10H. When there are three moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C in the conveying path, the position generator 34 calculates and generates information indicating the positions of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C in the conveying path, namely, the position information of the moving body 20A, the position information of the moving body 20B, and the position information of the moving body 20C, based on the scale detection information included in all the control data received from the conveying path units 10A to 10H. That is, the position generator 34 generates position information for each moving body 20 of the conveying system 1, namely, the position information of the moving body 20. The position information of the moving body 20 is information indicating the position of the moving body 20 in the conveying path of the conveying system 1 by an absolute position. The position generator 34 outputs the generated position information of the moving body 20 to the communication main station 31. In addition, the position information of the moving body 20 is an example of information for generating control data, and is generated data.

[0088] The generation of the position information of the movable body 20 by the position generator 34 may be, for example, an operation of adding all the received scale detection information through an adder, or a operation of comparing all the received scale detection information with the record table after pre-storing the record table containing the number and identification information of the conveying path units 10 constituting the conveying path in the memory of the control controller 30. Various calculation methods may be used.

[0089] The position controller 35 is a computing circuit that generates a drive command value for the moving body 20 based on the position command value of the moving body 20 generated by the position command generator 33 and the position information of the moving body 20 generated by the position generator 34. In the first embodiment, the position controller 35 is configured as follows: Figure 4 As shown, the position controller 35A, 35B, and 35C are composed of three position controllers. When there is no need to distinguish and explain each of these position controllers 35A, 35B, and 35C, they are sometimes simply referred to as position controllers 35. The position controller 35 is configured to be assigned to the moving body 20 of the conveying system 1 and generate a drive command value for the assigned moving body 20.

[0090] This embodiment 1 illustrates a method in which three moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C are provided in the conveying system 1, and one position controller 35 is assigned to one moving body 20. Specifically, the position controller 35A generates a driving command value for the moving body 20A, the position controller 35B generates a driving command value for the moving body 20B, and the position controller 35C generates a driving command value for the moving body 20C. Furthermore, the position controller 35A outputs the generated driving command value for the moving body 20A to the communication slave station 32A, the position controller 35B outputs the generated driving command value for the moving body 20B to the communication slave station 32B, and the position controller 35C outputs the generated driving command value for the moving body 20C to the communication slave station 32C. In addition, the driving command value for the moving body 20 is an example of various command values ​​for generating control data, and is generated data.

[0091] In addition, the number of the moving bodies 20 assigned to the position controller 35 can be arbitrarily determined and can be set before the transport system 1 is operated. Figure 1 As shown, when the transport system 1 has three moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C, for example, all of the three moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C can be assigned to one position controller 35. In addition, when the transport system 1 has nine moving bodies, for example, the control controller 30 can have nine position controllers 35, and one moving body is assigned to one position controller 35, thereby assigning nine moving bodies to the nine position controllers 35, or three position controllers 35, and three moving bodies are assigned to one position controller 35, thereby assigning nine moving bodies to the three position controllers 35, or one position controller 35, and nine moving bodies are assigned to one position controller 35. That is, the position controllers 35 can be configured so that, as the transport system 1 as a whole, the number of position controllers 35 is the same as the number of moving bodies 20 that the transport system 1 has at most.

[0092] One method of generating the driving command value of the moving body 20 by the position controller 35 is to calculate the position deviation according to the position command value of the moving body 20 and the position information of the moving body 20 generated by the position command generator 33 and the position information of the moving body 20 generated by the position generator 34, and generate the speed command value of the moving body 20 by the PID (Proportional-Integral-Differential) control operation using the calculated position deviation. The speed command value is a value obtained by calculating the speed given to the moving body 20 according to the position deviation. The speed command value of the moving body 20 is an example of a driving command value.

[0093] A method for generating a drive command value of the moving body 20 by the position controller 35 is specifically described by taking the moving body 20A as an example. The position controller 35A assigned to the moving body 20A calculates a position deviation based on the position command value of the moving body 20A generated by the position command generator 33 and the position information of the moving body 20 generated by the position generator 34, and generates a speed command value of the moving body 20A by performing a PID control operation using the position deviation. In addition, for the moving bodies 20B and 20C, the speed command values ​​of the moving bodies 20B and 20C are similarly generated by the assigned position controllers 35B and 35C based on their respective position command values ​​and position information.

[0094] In addition, regarding another method for generating the driving command value of the mobile body 20 by the position controller 35, the speed command value of the predetermined mobile body 20 is generated as described above, and the position information of the predetermined mobile body 20 is differentiated to calculate the speed of the predetermined mobile body 20. Moreover, this other method calculates the speed deviation based on the speed command value of the predetermined mobile body 20 and the speed of the predetermined mobile body 20, and generates the thrust command value of the predetermined mobile body 20 through the operation of PID (Proportional-Integral-Differential) control using the calculated speed deviation. The thrust command value is a value obtained by calculating the speed given to the mobile body 20 based on the speed deviation. In addition, the generation of the driving command value of the mobile body 20 in this other method is based on the position command value of the mobile body 20 generated by the position command generator 33 and the position information of the mobile body 20 generated by the position generator 34, and the generation of the driving command value is based on the position command value of the mobile body 20 generated by the position command generator 33 and the position information of the mobile body 20 generated by the position generator 34. The thrust command value of the mobile body 20 is an example of a drive command value.

[0095] Regarding another method of generating the drive command value of the mobile body 20 by the above-mentioned position controller 35, the mobile body 20A is specifically described as an example. The position controller 35A assigned to the mobile body 20A generates the speed command value of the mobile body 20A as described above, and calculates the speed of the mobile body 20A by performing a differential calculation on the position information of the mobile body 20. Moreover, this other method calculates the speed deviation based on the speed command value of the mobile body 20A and the speed of the mobile body 20A, and uses the calculated speed deviation to generate the thrust command value of the mobile body 20A through the operation of PID control. In addition, regarding the mobile bodies 20B and 20C, the thrust command values ​​of the mobile bodies 20B and 20C are also generated by the assigned position controllers 35B and 35C based on their respective position command values ​​and position information.

[0096] The position controller 35 generates a speed command value of the moving body 20 or a thrust command value of the moving body 20 , and outputs the speed command value of the moving body 20 or the thrust command value of the moving body 20 to the communication slave station 32 as a drive command value of the moving body 20 .

[0097] The current command generator 36 is a calculation circuit that generates current command values ​​for all the transport path units 10 in the transport path of the transport system 1 based on the drive command value of the mobile body 20 and the position information of the mobile body 20. That is, the current command generator 36 generates the current command value with the plurality of transport path units 10 as one control object. The current command value is a command value that indicates the magnitude of the current supplied to the coil 121 included in each driving element 12 possessed by the transport path unit 10. The current command generator 36 generates the current command value based on the drive command value of the mobile body 20 and the position information of the mobile body 20. However, when the drive command value of the mobile body 20 is a speed command value, the current command value is generated as a command value that indicates the magnitude of the current supplied to the coil 121 for applying the speed specified by the speed command value as a driving force to the mobile body 20. On the other hand, when the driving command value of the moving body 20 is a thrust command value, the current command generator 36 generates a command value indicating the magnitude of the current supplied to the coil 121 for applying the speed specified by the thrust command value as the driving force to the moving body 20. The current command generator 36 generates the current command values ​​for all the transport path units 10 in the transport path of the transport system 1.

[0098] When generating the current command value, the current command generator 36 uses the calculation formula stored in the memory of the control controller 30 to calculate and generate the current command value for all the coils 121 included in all the conveying path units 10. Specifically, in the case of Figure 1 The conveying system 1 shown in FIG. 1 has 8 conveying path units 10, such as Figure 2 In the case where one transport path unit 10 has nine coils 121, the current command generator 36 generates current command values ​​for 72 coils 121. The calculation formula used here is a calculation formula for converting the speed of the moving body 20 indicated by the speed command value or the thrust command value as the drive command value into the magnitude of the current supplied to the coil 121, and a calculation formula used in a known motor control can be used.

[0099] The current command generator 36 outputs all generated current command values ​​to the communication master station 31. The communication master station 31 having obtained the current command values ​​transmits the current command values ​​to the conveyance path communication slave station 11 of the conveyance path unit 10. The current command values ​​are an example of control data transmitted by the control controller 30.

[0100] Here, the connection between the communication master station 31, the communication slave station 32 in the control controller 30 according to the first embodiment and the conveying path communication slave station 11 of the conveying path unit 10 will be described. Figure 4 As shown, the communication master station 31 is connected to the communication slave station 32A via the internal bus. The communication slave station 32A is connected to the communication slave station 32B via the internal bus. Moreover, the communication slave station 32B is connected to the communication slave station 32C via the internal bus. That is, the communication master station 31 and the communication slave stations 32A, 32B, and 32C are connected by a daisy chain connection, and the generated data including various command values ​​and information for generating control data can be sent and received between the communication master station 31 and the communication slave station 32. By adopting the daisy chain connection as described above, the transmission and reception of various command values ​​and information between the communication master station 31 and the communication slave station 32 can adopt serial communication, which can suppress the increase of the internal bus.

[0101] Moreover, if Figure 4 As shown, in the structure in which the communication master station 31 and the communication slave station 32 are connected by a daisy chain, when the communication master station 31 transmits and receives the generated data with the communication slave station 32A, the transmission and reception are performed via the internal bus connecting the communication master station 31 and the communication slave station 32A. When the communication master station 31 transmits and receives the generated data with the communication slave station 32B, the transmission and reception are performed via the internal bus connecting the communication master station 31 and the communication slave station 32A, the communication slave station 32A, and the internal bus connecting the communication slave station 32A and the communication slave station 32B. In other words, the communication slave station 32B transmits and receives with the communication master station 31 via the communication slave station 32A. When the communication master station 31 transmits and receives the generated data with the communication slave station 32C, the communication master station 31 transmits and receives the generated data via the internal bus connecting the communication master station 31 and the communication slave station 32A, the communication slave station 32A, the internal bus connecting the communication slave station 32A and the communication slave station 32B, the communication slave station 32B, and the internal bus connecting the communication slave station 32B and the communication slave station 32C. In other words, the communication slave station 32C transmits and receives the generated data with the communication master station 31 via the communication slave station 32A and the communication slave station 32B. In the above-mentioned structure, it can also be said that the communication master station 31 transmits and receives the generated data with the communication slave stations 32A, 32B, and 32C. In addition, the communication master station 31 is configured to have two channels, namely, a transmission channel and a reception channel.

[0102] In addition, if Figure 4As shown, the communication slave station 32C is connected to the communication slave station 32B, and is connected to the first communication line 50 connected to the conveying path unit 10. Specifically, the communication slave station 32C of the control controller 30 and the conveying path communication slave station 11 of the conveying path unit 10 are connected via the first communication line 50, thereby forming a communication network for transmitting and receiving control data between the control controller 30 and the conveying path unit 10. That is, the communication slave station 32 and the conveying path communication slave station 11 are connected by daisy chain connection, and control data can be transmitted and received between the communication master station 31 and the conveying path communication slave station 11 via the communication slave station 32.

[0103] In addition, the control controller 30 does not necessarily need to connect the communication slave station 32C and the first communication line 50, as long as it can constitute a communication network for transmitting and receiving control data between the control controller 30 and the conveying path unit 10. For example, the control controller 30 may be a communication master station 31 and a conveying path communication slave station 11 included in the conveying path unit 10 connected via the first communication line 50, thereby constituting a communication network for transmitting and receiving control data between the control controller 30 and the conveying path unit 10.

[0104] On this basis, if Figure 4 As shown, in a structure in which the communication master station 31, the communication slave station 32, and the conveying path communication slave station 11 are connected by a daisy chain, when the communication master station 31 transmits and receives control data with the conveying path communication slave station 11 of the conveying path unit 10, the communication master station 31 transmits and receives via the internal bus connecting the communication master station 31 and the communication slave station 32A, the communication slave station 32A, the internal bus connecting the communication slave station 32A and the communication slave station 32B, the communication slave station 32B, the internal bus connecting the communication slave station 32B and the communication slave station 32C, the communication slave station 32C, and the first communication line 50. In other words, the communication master station 31 transmits and receives with the conveying path communication slave station 11 of the conveying path unit 10 via the first communication line 50. In the structure as described above, it can also be said that the control controller 30 transmits and receives control data with the conveying path communication slave station 11 of the conveying path unit 10. By adopting the daisy chain connection as described above, the transmission and reception of control data between the communication master station 31 and the transmission path communication slave station 11 can adopt serial communication, and the increase of communication lines can be suppressed.

[0105] Figure 5 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of communication control in the communication master station according to the first embodiment. Figure 5 The communication control of the communication master station 31 related to the transmission and reception between the communication master station 31 and the communication slave station 32 and the transmission and reception between the communication master station 31 and the transport path communication slave station 11 possessed by the transport path unit 10 will be described in detail.

[0106] The communication master station 31 is configured to send generated data to the communication slave station 32. As an example, the communication master station 31 is configured to designate a desired communication slave station 32 as a communication target with respect to a plurality of communication slave stations 32A to 32C, and to send generated data to the designated communication slave station 32. The communication master station 31 is configured to send control data to the conveying path communication slave station 11. As an example, the communication master station 31 is configured to designate a desired conveying path communication slave station 11 with respect to a plurality of conveying path communication slave stations 11A to 11H, and to send control data to the designated conveying path communication slave station 11. In addition, the communication master station 31 is configured to receive generated data from one or more communication slave stations 32. The communication master station 31 is configured to receive control data from a plurality of conveying path communication slave stations 11. Figure 5 As shown in (A), the communication master station 31 uses the transmission channel SC and the reception channel RC to transmit and receive the generated data including various command values ​​and information for generating the control data with the communication slave station 32, and transmit and receive the control data with the transmission path communication slave station 11. The communication master station 31 performs communication control in such a way that the transmission and reception of each communication frame of the communication slave station 32 and the transmission path communication slave station 11 is performed once within a predetermined constant communication cycle CTn (n is a natural number).

[0107] Specifically, if Figure 5As shown in (A), the communication master station 31 uses the transmission channel SC to designate the communication slave station 32A and transmit the communication frame T1A to the communication slave station 32A, designate the communication slave station 32B and transmit the communication frame T1B to the communication slave station 32B, and designate the communication slave station 32C and transmit the communication frame T1C to the communication slave station 32C within the communication cycle CT1. The transmission of these communication frames T1A, T1B, and T1C is an example of the first communication. In addition, when the communication master station 31 transmits the communication frames T1A, T1B, and T1C to the communication slave stations 32A to 32C, the communication master station 31 may not designate the communication slave stations 32A to 32C when it is not necessary to designate each of the communication slave stations 32A to 32C. As for the case where the communication master station 31 may not designate the communication slave station 32, for example, there may be a case where there is only one communication slave station 32 in the transport system 1, a case where the communication slave station 32 of the transmission target is predetermined in the transport system 1, and the like. In addition, in the same communication cycle CT1, the communication master station 31 uses the transmission channel SC to specify the conveying path communication slave station 11A and transmit the communication frame T2A to the conveying path communication slave station 11A, specifies the conveying path communication slave station 11B and transmits the communication frame T2B to the conveying path communication slave station 11B, and similarly specifies the conveying path communication slave stations 11C to 11H and transmits the communication frames T2C to T2H to the conveying path communication slave stations 11C to 11H. The transmission of these communication frames T2A to T2H is an example of the third communication. In addition, when the communication master station 31 transmits the communication frames T2A to T1H to the conveying path communication slave stations 11A to 11H, when it is not necessary to specify each of the conveying path communication slave stations 11A to 11H, the communication master station 31 may not specify the conveying path communication slave stations 11A to 11H. The communication master station 31 may not specify the conveying path communication slave station 11, for example, when there is only one conveying path communication slave station 11 in the conveying system 1, or when the conveying path communication slave station 11 of the transmission target is predetermined in the conveying system 1. The communication master station 31 controls the communication cycle CT1 to be divided by time slots and transmits each communication frame in a time-division manner.

[0108] In addition, if Figure 5 As shown in (A), the communication master station 31 uses the receiving channel RC to receive the communication frame R1A from the communication slave station 32A, the communication frame R1B from the communication slave station 32B, and the communication frame R1C from the communication slave station 32C within the communication cycle CT1. In other words, the communication slave station 32A sends the communication frame R1A to the communication master station 31, the communication slave station 32B sends the communication frame R1B to the communication master station 31, and the communication slave station 32C sends the communication frame R1C to the communication master station 31. The transmission of these communication frames R1A, R1B, and R1C is an example of the second communication.

[0109] And, if Figure 5 As shown in (A), in the same communication cycle CT1, the communication master station 31 uses the receiving channel RC to receive the communication frame R2A from the transmission path communication slave station 11A, the communication frame R2B from the transmission path communication slave station 11B, and similarly, the communication frames R2C to R2H from the transmission path communication slave stations 11C to 11H. In other words, the transmission path communication slave station 11A sends the communication frame R2A to the communication master station 31, the transmission path communication slave station 11B sends the communication frame R2B to the communication master station 31, and similarly, the transmission path communication slave stations 11C to 11H send the communication frames R2C to R2H to the communication master station 31. The transmission of these communication frames R2A to R2H is an example of the sixth communication. The communication master station 31 controls the communication cycle CT1 to be divided by time slots and receives each communication frame in time division.

[0110] like Figure 5 As shown in (B), the communication frame T1A sent by the communication master station 31 to the communication slave station 32A is composed of a header, a tail, and a payload. The communication frame T1A is a communication frame for specifying the communication slave station 32A and sending generated data to the communication slave station 32A. The communication frame T1A is accompanied by the designated information of the communication slave station 32A (such as the sending target address) as a header, and the communication slave station 32A is specified by the information in the header. The payload part includes the position command value of the mobile body 20A and the position information of the mobile body 20A. The tail part is accompanied by frame check sequence data, etc., which is used to confirm that the communication frame is accurately received at the receiving destination. The communication frames T1B and T1C (not shown) are communication frames for specifying the communication slave stations 32B and 32C and sending generated data to the communication slave stations 32B and 32C. The communication frames T1B and T1C have the specified information of the communication slave stations 32B and 32C as the header, and the position command values ​​and position information of the moving bodies 20B and 20C as the payload. In addition, the frame check sequence data and the like are attached to the tail. Thus, the communication master station 31 specifies the desired communication slave station 32 as the communication target, and can send generated data to the specified communication slave station 32.

[0111] Next, if Figure 5As shown in (C), the communication frame T2A sent by the communication master station 31 to the conveying path communication slave station 11A is composed of a header, a tail, and a payload. The communication frame T2A is a communication frame for specifying the conveying path communication slave station 11A and sending control data to the conveying path communication slave station 11A. The communication frame T2A is accompanied by the specified information of the conveying path communication slave station 11A (transmission target address, etc.) as a header, and the conveying path communication slave station 11A is specified by the information in the header. The payload part includes a current command value for controlling the energization or non-energization of all coils 121A included in the conveying path unit 10A having the conveying path communication slave station 11A. The tail part is accompanied by frame check sequence data, etc., for confirming that the communication frame is accurately received at the receiving destination. The communication frames T2B to T2H (not shown) are communication frames for specifying the conveying path communication slave stations 11B to 11H and transmitting current command values ​​to the conveying path communication slave stations 11B to 11H. The current command values ​​are used to control the energization or non-energization of all coils 121B to all coils 121H included in each conveying path unit 10B to 10H having the conveying path communication slave stations 11B to 11H. The communication frames T2B to T2H are accompanied by the specifying information of the conveying path communication slave stations 11B to 11H as the header, and the conveying path communication slave stations 11B to 11H are specified by the information in the header. The payload part includes the current command values ​​for controlling the energization or non-energization of all coils 121B to all coils 121H included in each conveying path unit 10B to 10H having the conveying path communication slave stations 11B to 11H. In addition, the tail part includes frame check sequence data and the like. Thereby, the communication master station 31 can transmit the control data to the communication slave station 11 of the desired transmission path.

[0112] like Figure 5As shown in (D), the communication frame R1A received by the communication master station 31 from the communication slave station 32A is composed of a header, a tail, and a payload. The communication frame R1A is a communication frame for sending the generated data from the communication slave station 32A to the communication master station 31. The communication frame R1A is accompanied by the designated information of the communication master station 31 (such as the transmission destination address) as a header, and contains the driving instruction value of the moving body 20A as a payload. The tail is accompanied by frame check sequence data for confirming that the communication frame is accurately received at the receiving destination. Communication frames R1B and R1C (not shown) are communication frames for the communication master station 31 to receive the generated data from the communication slave stations 32B and 32C, and are communication frames sent by the communication slave stations 32B and 32C to the communication master station 31. The communication frames R1B and R1C are accompanied by the designated information of the communication master station 31 as a header, and contain the driving instruction values ​​of the moving bodies 20B and 20C as a payload. Furthermore, the end portion is attached with frame check sequence data etc. Thus, each of the communication slave stations 32 can transmit the generated data to the communication master station 31 , and the communication master station 31 can receive the generated data from each of the communication slave stations 32 .

[0113] Next, if Figure 5 As shown in (E), the communication frame R2A received by the communication master station 31 from the conveying path communication slave station 11A is composed of a header, a tail, and a payload. The communication frame R2A is a communication frame for sending control data from the conveying path communication slave station 11A to the communication master station 31. The communication frame R2A is accompanied by the designated information of the communication master station 31 (such as the transmission destination address) as a header, and includes the scale detection information indicating the relative position of the moving body 20A relative to all the position sensors 131A output by the position calculator 14A included in the conveying path unit 10A having the conveying path communication slave station 11A as a payload. The tail is accompanied by frame check sequence data for confirming that the communication frame is accurately received at the receiving destination. Communication frames R2B to R2H (not shown) are communication frames used to send each scale detection information output by the position calculator 14B to 14H included in each conveying path unit 10B to 10H having the conveying path communication slave station 11B to 11H toward the communication master station 31. The communication frames R2B to R2H are accompanied by the designated information of the communication master station 31 as a header, and include the scale detection information calculated by the position calculator 14B to the scale detection information calculated by the position calculator 14H as a payload. In addition, the tail is accompanied by frame check sequence data and the like. As a result, each conveying path communication slave station 11 can send control data to the communication master station 31, and the communication master station 31 can receive control data from each conveying path communication slave station 11.

[0114] In addition, Figure 5In (A), an example is shown in which the communication master station 31 performs communication control in a manner that the transmission and reception of each communication frame with the communication slave station 32 and the transmission path communication slave station 11 are performed once within a constant communication cycle CTn (n is a natural number), but it is of course not limited to the above communication control. The communication master station 31 may also make the communication cycle CTn different for each type of communication frame, and may also separate the communication cycle CTn for each type of frame. For example, when the processing time for generating the position command value in the position command generator 33 is longer than other processing times, the communication master station 31 may send the communication frames T1A to T1C once in N communication cycles. In addition, for example, the communication master station 31 may send and receive the transmission of the communication frames T1A to T1C and the reception of the communication frames R1A to R1C in the same communication cycle CT1, and send and receive the transmission of the communication frames T2A to T2H and the reception of the communication frames R2A to R2H in the same communication cycle CT2. If the communication control described above can be performed, the communication band can be used effectively and one communication cycle can be shortened, so the control performance of the moving object 20 can also be improved.

[0115] Figure 6 1 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the control controller according to the first embodiment. The hardware of the control controller 30 includes a first communication interface (first communication I / F) 3001 functioning as a communication master station 31, a second communication interface (second communication I / F) 3002 functioning as a communication slave station 32A, a third communication interface (third communication I / F) 3003 functioning as a communication slave station 32B, a fourth communication interface (fourth communication I / F) 3004 functioning as a communication slave station 32C, a first processor 3005 functioning as a position command generator 33, a position generator 34, and a current command generator 36, a second processor 3006 functioning as a position controller 35A, a third processor 3007 functioning as a position controller 35B, a fourth processor 3008 functioning as a position controller 35C, and a memory 3009 for reading and writing various data used for each operation in the first processor 3005 to the fourth processor 3008.

[0116] The first processor 3005 is a processor that can operate the position command value, position information, and the current command value of the conveying path unit 10 as the position command generator 33, the position generator 34, and the current command generator 36, and can be, for example, a microprocessor, a single chip microcomputer, a microcomputer, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). In addition, the second processor 3006 to the fourth processor 3008 are processors that can operate the drive command value as the position controller 35A to the position controller 35C, and can be, for example, a microprocessor, a single chip microcomputer, a microcomputer, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). The memory 3009 includes a non-volatile memory that stores various operation programs executed by the first processor 3005 to the fourth processor 3008 and a volatile memory that becomes a working memory during each operation in the processor 1002.

[0117] In addition, Figure 6 In the hardware configuration of the control controller 30, the processor that functions as the position command generator 33, the position generator 34, and the current command generator 36 is shown as the first processor 3005 as an example, but it is also possible to have a plurality of processors such as the processor that functions as the position command generator 33, the processor that functions as the position generator 34, and the processor that functions as the current command generator 36. In addition, regarding the hardware configuration of the control controller 30, three processors, namely the second processor 3006 to the fourth processor 3008, are shown as the processors that function as the position controllers 35A to 35C, but, for example, when one position controller 35 is assigned to a plurality of moving bodies 20, it is also possible to have a configuration having one processor that functions as the position controller 35. Furthermore, the hardware configuration of the control controller 30 shows one memory 3009 that is commonly used by the first processor 3005 to the fourth processor 3008, but the memory may be configured so that it is not commonly used by each processor but has a plurality of memories.

[0118] Figure 7 This is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the control controller according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the transport path unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7 and Figure 8 , the control of the moving body 20 in the conveying system 1 will be described.

[0119] The control controller 30 executes the functions of the position command generator 33 , the position generator 34 , the position controllers 35A to 35C, and the current command generator 36 by having the processors of the control controller 30 execute the programs stored in the memory 3009 .

[0120] exist Figure 7 In step S701 shown, the position command generator 33 of the control controller 30 generates position command values ​​for each of the three moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C of the conveying system 1. The position command generator 33 outputs the generated position command values ​​for each of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C to the communication master station 31 of the control controller 30.

[0121] In step S702, the position generator 34 of the control controller 30 generates position information of each of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C indicating the position of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C on the conveying path based on the scale detection information included in the control data received from the conveying path units 10A to 10H using the communication frames R2A to R2H. The position generator 34 outputs the generated position information of each of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C to the communication master station 31 of the control controller 30.

[0122] In step S703, the communication master station 31 of the control controller 30 implements the first communication of sending the acquired position command values ​​and position information of each of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C to the communication slave station 32. Specifically, the communication master station 31 uses a communication frame T1A composed of a header, a trailer, and a payload portion to send the position command value and position information of the moving body 20A to the communication slave station 32A, uses a communication frame T1B to send the position command value and position information of the moving body 20B to the communication slave station 32B, and uses a communication frame T1C to send the position command value and position information of the moving body 20C to the communication slave station 32C.

[0123] In step S704, the position controllers 35A, 35B, and 35C of the control controller 30 generate drive command values ​​for the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C based on the position command values ​​and position information of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C received from the communication slave stations 32A, 32B, and 32C. Furthermore, the position controllers 35A, 35B, and 35C output the generated drive command values ​​for the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C to the communication slave stations 32A, 32B, and 32C. Specifically, the position controller 35A obtains the position command value and position information of the moving body 20A from the communication slave station 32A connected via the internal bus, generates the drive command value of the moving body 20A based on the position command value and position information of the moving body 20A, and outputs the generated drive command value of the moving body 20A to the communication slave station 32A. Similarly, the position controllers 35B and 35C generate a drive command value for the moving body 20B and a drive command value for the moving body 20C, respectively, and output them to the communication slave stations 32B and 32C connected via the internal bus, respectively.

[0124] In step S705, the communication slave stations 32A, 32B, and 32C of the control controller 30 perform the second communication of transmitting the acquired drive command values ​​of the mobile bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C to the communication master station 31. Specifically, the communication slave station 32A uses a communication frame R1A composed of a header, a footer, and a payload portion to transmit the drive command value of the mobile body 20 to the communication master station 31. In addition, the communication slave stations 32B and 32C similarly transmit the drive command value of the mobile body 20B and the drive command value of the mobile body 20C to the communication master station 31 using the communication frames R1B and R1C.

[0125] In step S706, the current command generator 36 of the control controller 30 generates the current command value of the conveying path unit 10A to 10H based on the position information of each of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C generated by the position generator 34 and the drive command value of each of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C received by the communication master station 31. In addition, the position information of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C can be read and obtained from the memory possessed by the control controller 30. The current command generator 36 obtains the drive command value of the moving body 20A, the drive command value of the moving body 20B, and the drive command value of the moving body 20C from the communication master station 31 connected via the internal bus. Moreover, the current command generator 36 obtains the position information of the moving body 20A, the position information of the moving body 20B, and the position information of the moving body 20C from the memory of the control controller 30. The current command generator 36 generates current command values ​​for the transport path units 10A to 10H based on the drive commands and position information of the respective moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C, and outputs the current command values ​​to the communication master station 31 .

[0126] More specifically, the current command generator 36 generates a current command value with the transport path units 10A to 10H as one control object. Figure 1In the transport path units 10A to 10H in the transport system 1 shown, when the movable body 20A is located on the transport path unit 10A, the movable body 20B is located at a position straddling the transport path units 10C and 10D, and the movable body 20C is located at a position straddling the transport path units 10E and 10F, the current command generator 36 generates, as the current command value of the transport path unit 10A, a current command value indicating the magnitude of the current supplied to the coil 121A included in the multiple driving elements 12A of the transport path unit 10A based on the drive command and position information of the movable body 20A, and generates, as the current command value of the remaining transport path units 10 except the transport path unit 10A, a current command value that sets the magnitude of the current supplied to the coil 121 included in the multiple driving elements 12 of the remaining transport path units 10 to 0 (zero). Similarly, the current command generator 36 generates, as the current command values ​​for the conveying path units 10C and 10D, current command values ​​indicating the magnitude of the current supplied to the coils 121C and 121D included in the plurality of drive elements 12C and 12D of the respective conveying path units 10C and 10D based on the drive command and position information of the movable body 20B, and generates, as the current command values ​​for the remaining conveying path units 10 other than the conveying path units 10C and 10D, current command values ​​for setting the magnitude of the current supplied to the coils 121 included in the plurality of drive elements 12 of the remaining conveying path units 10 to 0 (zero). Similarly, the current command generator 36 generates, as the current command values ​​for the transport path units 10E and 10F, a current command value indicating the magnitude of the current supplied to the coils 121E and 121F included in the plurality of drive elements 12E and 12F of the respective transport path units 10E and 10F based on the drive command and position information of the movable body 20C, and generates, as the current command values ​​for the remaining transport path units 10 other than the transport path units 10E and 10F, a current command value for setting the magnitude of the current supplied to the coils 121 included in the plurality of drive elements 12 of the remaining transport path units 10 to 0 (zero). Moreover, the current command generator 36 combines all the current command values ​​generated based on the respective drive command values ​​and position information of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C, and generates current command values ​​indicating the magnitude of the current supplied to the coil 121 included in each drive element 12 as the current command values ​​of the conveying path units 10A, 10C, 10D, 10E, and 10F, and generates current command values ​​that set the magnitude of the current supplied to the coil 121 included in each drive element 12 to 0 (zero) as the current command values ​​of the conveying path units 10B, 10G, and 10H, thereby generating current command values ​​for all the conveying path units 10 in the conveying path of the conveying system 1.

[0127] In step S707, the communication master station 31 of the control controller 30 performs the third communication of transmitting the acquired current command values ​​of each of the conveying path units 10A to 10H to the conveying path communication slave station 11. Specifically, the communication master station 31 transmits the current command value of the conveying path unit 10A to the conveying path communication slave station 11A using the communication frame T2A composed of the header, the trailer, and the payload. Similarly, the communication master station 31 transmits the current command value of each of the conveying path units 10B to 10H to the conveying path communication slave stations 11B to 11H using the communication frames T2B to T2H.

[0128] exist Figure 8 In step S801 shown, each current controller 124 of the transport path unit 10 calculates a control signal for controlling the operation of the inverter circuit 122 based on the current command value received from the station 11 through the transport path communication and the actual current value RA detected by the current sensor 123 of the transport path unit 10, and outputs the calculated control signal to the inverter circuit 122. Specifically, the current controller 124A included in each drive element 12A of the transport path unit 10A obtains the actual current value RA detected by the current sensor 123A of the drive element 12A including itself through the internal bus, and obtains a command value indicating the magnitude of the current supplied to the coil 121A of the drive element 12A including itself from the current command value. Each current controller 124 calculates the control signal for controlling the operation of the inverter circuit 122 based on the command value indicating the magnitude of the current and the actual current value RA, and outputs the control signal to the inverter circuit 122A of the drive element 12A including itself. Similarly, the current controllers 124B to 124H of the transport path units 10B to 10H output control signals to the inverter circuits 122B to 122H of the drive elements 12B to 12H including themselves.

[0129] In step S802, each inverter circuit 122 of the transport path unit 10 obtains the control signal output by the current controller 124 via the internal bus, and operates so as to supply the required current to the coil 121. Specifically, the inverter circuit 122A included in each drive element 12A of the transport path unit 10A obtains the control signal output by the current controller 124A via the internal bus, and operates so as to supply the required current from the power supply unit 40 to the coil 121A based on the control signal. That is, each inverter circuit 122A transforms the current from the power supply unit 40 in accordance with the magnitude of the current indicated by the current command value included in the control data sent from the control controller 30, and energizes or de-energizes the coil 121A. In addition, similarly, the inverter circuits 122B to 122H of the transport path units 10B to 10H operate so as to supply the required current from the power supply unit 40 to the coils 121B to 121H based on the control signal.

[0130] If the coil 121 of the transport path unit 10 is energized or de-energized according to the current command value in step S802, the transport system 1 generates an electromagnetic field in the energized coil 121. The electromagnetic field generated by the coil 121 and the magnetic field generated by the movable magnet group 22 interact with each other, whereby the movable body 20 obtains a driving force and moves along the transport path formed by the transport path unit 10.

[0131] In step S803, the scale 13 of each transport path unit 10 detects the moving body 20 through the position sensor 131 of the scale 13 and outputs a detection signal. As described above, when the position sensor 131 is a Hall element, if the moving body 20 passes through the Hall element, the position sensor 131 outputs a waveform signal of a SIN wave and a COS wave as a detection signal. In addition, the Hall element through which the moving body 20 does not pass outputs a signal without a waveform signal as a detection signal. That is, all the scales 13 of each transport path unit 10 output detection signals from all the position sensors 131 of the scale 13. Specifically, the scale 13A of the transport path unit 10A outputs a waveform signal of a SIN wave and a COS wave as a detection signal from the position sensor 131A through which the moving body 20 passes among the plurality of position sensors 131A of the scale 13A, and outputs a signal without a waveform signal (e.g., "0 (zero)") as a detection signal from the position sensor 131A through which the moving body 20 does not pass. In addition, similarly, with respect to the scales 13B to 13H of the conveying path units 10B to 10H, the position sensors 131B to 131H through which the moving body 20 passes among the multiple position sensors 131B to 131H respectively possessed by the scales 13B to 13H output waveform signals of SIN waves and COS waves as detection signals, while the position sensors 131B to 131H through which the moving body 20 does not pass output signals without waveform signals as detection signals.

[0132] In step S804, the position calculator 14 of each conveying path unit 10 obtains the detection signal via the internal bus, calculates the scale detection information based on the detection signal, and outputs the scale detection information to the conveying path communication slave station 11. The position calculator 14 calculates the relative position of the moving body 20 with respect to the position sensor 131 of the scale 13 based on the detection signals of all the position sensors 131 output from the scale 13 of the conveying path unit 10 including the position calculator 14 as the scale detection information. Specifically, the position calculator 14A of the conveying path unit 10A calculates the relative position of the moving body 20 with respect to the position sensor 131A of the scale 13A based on the detection signals of all the position sensors 131A output from the scale 13A as the scale detection information. In addition, when the moving body 20 does not pass over the conveying path unit 10A, the position calculator 14A calculates the information indicating that the moving body 20 does not pass through any of the position sensors 131A as the scale detection information indicating the relative position of the moving body 20 with respect to the position sensor 131 of the scale 13A. In the above case, the scale information can be, for example, information indicating 0 (zero) or information of an arbitrary word. The position operator 14A outputs the calculated scale detection information to the conveying path communication slave station 11A. In addition, the position operators 14B to 14H of the conveying path units 10B to 10H similarly calculate the scale detection information based on the detection signals output from the position sensors 131B to 131H of the scales 13B to 13H of the conveying path units 10B to 10H including themselves, and output the scale detection information to the conveying path communication slave stations 11B to 11H, respectively.

[0133] In step S805, the conveying path communication slave station 11 of each conveying path unit 10 implements the sixth communication of sending the acquired scale detection information toward the communication master station 31. Specifically, the conveying path communication slave station 11A uses the communication frame R2A composed of the header, the tail, and the payload to send the scale detection information calculated by the position calculator 14A of the conveying path unit 10A toward the communication master station 31 of the control controller 30. Similarly, the conveying path communication slave stations 11B to 11H of the conveying path units 10B to 10H use the communication frames R2B to R2H to send the scale detection information calculated by the position calculators 14B to 14H of the conveying path units 10B to 10H to the communication master station 31 of the control controller 30 in sequence.

[0134] As described above, the transport system 1 according to the first embodiment includes the position controller 35 in the control controller 30, and the position controller 35 of the control controller 30 is allocated to all the moving bodies 20 moving in the transport system 1. In addition, the position controller 35 is connected to the communication slave station 32. In addition, the communication master station 31 of the control controller 30 is configured to transmit and receive the generated data with the communication slave station 32. Thus, the current command generator 36 of the control controller 30 can generate the current command value for giving the driving force to all the moving bodies 20 moving in the transport system 1 based on the generated data, and can generate the current command value for all the transport path units 10. Therefore, the transport system 1 according to the first embodiment can generate the current command value for all the transport path units 10 by the current command generator 36, so that even when the moving body 20 moving in the transport system 1 is located at the boundary between the transport path units 10, the movement of the moving body 20 can be controlled with high precision, and the cost increase of the electric circuit such as the inverter circuit 122 included in one driving element can be suppressed.

[0135] Furthermore, the transport system 1 according to the first embodiment is configured such that, as described above, the control controller 30 includes the position controller 35, and all the moving bodies 20 moving in the transport system 1 are assigned the position controller 35, and the current command value for all the transport path units 10 can be generated by the current command generator 36. Therefore, the transport system 1 according to the first embodiment does not need to include the position controller 35 in each of the transport path units 10, and the maximum number of the position controllers 35 can be set to be less than or equal to the number of the moving bodies 20. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the control system of the control controller 30 and the transport path unit 10 from becoming large-scale and high-cost. In addition, in the transport system 1, the moving body 20 is always assigned a predetermined position controller 35, so it is not necessary to perform a process such as assigning the control of the moving body 20 during the operation of the transport system 1. Therefore, in the transport system 1 according to the first embodiment, the control system does not become large-scale and high-cost, and it is possible to suppress the control stop of the moving body 20 of the transport system 1.

[0136] Implementation method 2.

[0137] A conveying system according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The same reference numerals are used to indicate the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted. Configurations different from those of the first embodiment will be described in detail below.

[0138] Fig. 9 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the structure of a conveying system according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Fig. 9As shown, the transport system 1W has a plurality of transport path units 10A to 10H constituting the transport path of the plurality of moving bodies 20A to 20C and a power supply unit 40 for supplying power to the transport path units 10A to 10H, similarly to the first embodiment. In addition, in the transport system 1W according to the second embodiment, a control controller 30W for controlling the motion of the plurality of moving bodies 20A to 20C is provided instead of the control controller 30. The control controller 30W is different from the control controller 30 and is composed of a position command controller 301 and a drive controller 302. That is, the position command controller 301 and the drive controller 302 are respectively configured as different frames, and these controllers operate to function as the control controller 30W.

[0139] like Fig. 9 As shown, the position command controller 301 includes a communication main station 31, a position command generator 33, a position generator 34, and a current command generator 36. The position command generator 33, the position generator 34, and the current command generator 36 are connected to the communication main station 31 via an internal bus in the position command controller 301. The communication main station 31, the position command generator 33, the position generator 34, and the current command generator 36 have the same functions as those of the above-mentioned embodiment 1. That is, the position command generator 33 generates a position command value for the moving body 20, the position generator 34 generates position information for the moving body 20, and the current command generator 36 generates a current command value for the conveying path unit 10. In addition, the position command value for the moving body 20 and the position information for the moving body 20 are examples of generated data, and the current command value for the conveying path unit 10 is an example of control data.

[0140] The drive controller 302 has a communication slave station 32 and a position controller 35. The position controller 35 is connected to the communication slave station 32 via an internal bus in the drive controller 302. The communication slave station 32 and the position controller 35 have the same functions as those in the above-mentioned embodiment 1, and the position controller 35 generates a drive command value for the moving body 20. In addition, the drive command value for the moving body 20 is an example of generated data.

[0141] The drive controller 302 is a controller that generates a drive command value for the moving body 20 based on the position command value of the moving body 20 generated by the position command generator 33 and the position information of the moving body 20 generated by the position generator 34 through the position controller 35. In the second embodiment, the drive controller 302 is configured as follows: Fig. 9 As shown, there are three drive controllers 302A, 302B, and 302C.

[0142] The drive controller 302A has a communication slave station 32A and a position controller 35A, the drive controller 302B has a communication slave station 32B and a position controller 35B, and the drive controller 302C has a communication slave station 32C and a position controller 35C. When there is no need to distinguish and explain each of these drive controllers 302A, 302B, 302C, communication slave stations 32A, 32B, 32C, and position controllers 35A, 35B, 35C, they are sometimes referred to as the drive controller 302, the communication slave station 32, and the position controller 35. The position controller 35 of the drive controller 302 is configured to be assigned to the moving body 20 of the conveying system 1W, and to generate a drive command value for the assigned moving body 20.

[0143] This embodiment 2 illustrates a method in which a conveying system 1W has three moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C, and one position controller 35 is assigned to one moving body 20. Specifically, the position controller 35A generates a drive command value for the moving body 20A, the position controller 35B generates a drive command value for the moving body 20B, and the position controller 35C generates a drive command value for the moving body 20C. Furthermore, the position controller 35A outputs the generated drive command value for the moving body 20A to the communication slave station 32A, the position controller 35B outputs the generated drive command value for the moving body 20B to the communication slave station 32B, and the position controller 35C outputs the generated drive command value for the moving body 20C to the communication slave station 32C. That is, the drive controller 302 is a controller that generates the drive command value for the moving body 20 assigned to the position controller 35 it has.

[0144] In addition, the number of moving bodies 20 assigned to the position controller 35 of the drive controller 302 can be arbitrarily determined, and can be assigned in the same manner as the assignment of the moving bodies 20 to the position controller 35 described in the above-mentioned embodiment 1. That is, the drive controller 302 as the entire conveying system 1W can be configured to have a maximum number of moving bodies 20 that is the same as the number of moving bodies 20 that the conveying system 1W has.

[0145] In addition, the number of communication slave stations 32 and position controllers 35 possessed by one drive controller 302 can be configured arbitrarily and can be determined when designing the hardware of the drive controller 302. For example, it can be configured so that one drive controller 302 has one communication slave station 32 and multiple position controllers 35, and one communication slave station 32 and multiple position controllers 35 are connected via an internal bus. In addition, it can also be configured so that one drive controller 302 has multiple communication slave stations 32 and multiple position controllers 35, and the communication slave stations 32 and the position controllers 35 are connected via an internal bus, and the communication slave stations 32 are connected to each other via the internal bus. Even if it is configured as described above, the drive controller 302 as the entire conveying system 1W can be configured to have a maximum number of the same number as the number of moving bodies 20 possessed by the conveying system 1W.

[0146] Here, the connection of the communication master station 31 of the position command controller 301, the communication slave station 32 of the drive controller 302, and the conveying path communication slave station 11 of the conveying path unit 10 in the control controller 30W involved in the second embodiment is described. In the conveying system 1W of the second embodiment, the position command controller 301 and the drive controller 302 constituting the control controller 30W are connected via the third communication line 80. In addition, the drive controllers 302 are connected to each other via the drive controller communication line 90. The control controller 30W and the conveying path unit 10 are connected via the first communication line 50.

[0147] Specifically, if Fig. 9As shown, the communication master station 31 of the position command controller 301 is connected to the communication slave station 32A of the drive controller 302A via the third communication line 80. The communication slave station 32A of the drive controller 302A is connected to the communication slave station 32B of the drive controller 302B via the drive controller communication line 90. Moreover, the communication slave station 32B of the drive controller 302B is connected to the communication slave station 32C of the drive controller 302C via the drive controller communication line 90. Thus, the position command controller 301 and the drive controller 302 can communicate with each other to form a control controller 30W. Moreover, the communication master station 31 of the position command controller 301 and the communication slave stations 32A, 32B, and 32C of the drive controllers 302A, 302B, and 302C are connected by a daisy chain connection, and the generated data including various instruction values ​​and information for generating control data can be sent and received between the communication master station 31 and the communication slave station 32. By adopting the daisy chain connection as described above, the transmission and reception of the generated data between the communication master station 31 and the communication slave station 32 can adopt serial communication, and the increase of the communication line can be suppressed. In addition, the communication slave station 32C of the drive controller 302C is connected to the conveying path communication slave station 11A of the conveying path unit 10A via the first communication line 50. Thus, the control controller 30W and the conveying path unit 10 constitute a communication network that can communicate with each other.

[0148] Moreover, if Fig. 9 As shown, in the structure in which the communication master station 31 and the communication slave station 32 are connected by a daisy chain, when the communication master station 31 transmits and receives the generated data with the communication slave station 32A, the transmission and reception are performed via the third communication line 80 connecting the communication master station 31 and the communication slave station 32A. When the communication master station 31 transmits and receives the generated data with the communication slave station 32B, the transmission and reception are performed via the third communication line 80 connecting the communication master station 31 and the communication slave station 32A, the communication slave station 32A, and the drive controller communication line 90 connecting the communication slave station 32A and the communication slave station 32B. In other words, the communication slave station 32B transmits and receives with the communication master station 31 via the communication slave station 32A. When the communication master station 31 transmits and receives the generated data with the communication slave station 32C, the communication master station 31 transmits and receives the generated data via the third communication line 80 connecting the communication master station 31 and the communication slave station 32A, the communication slave station 32A, the drive controller communication line 90 connecting the communication slave station 32A and the communication slave station 32B, and the communication slave station 32B, the drive controller communication line 90 connecting the communication slave station 32B and the communication slave station 32C. In other words, the communication slave station 32C transmits and receives the generated data with the communication master station 31 via the communication slave station 32A and the communication slave station 32B. In the above-mentioned structure, the communication master station 31 can also be said to transmit and receive the generated data with the communication slave stations 32A, 32B, and 32C. In addition, the communication master station 31 is configured to have two channels, namely a transmission channel and a reception channel.

[0149] In addition, if Fig. 9 As shown, the communication slave station 32C is connected to the communication slave station 32B and is connected to the first communication line 50 connected to the conveying path unit 10. Specifically, the communication slave station 32C of the drive controller 302C and the conveying path communication slave station 11 of the conveying path unit 10 are connected via the first communication line 50, thereby forming a communication network for transmitting and receiving control data between the control controller 30W and the conveying path unit 10. That is, the communication slave station 32 and the conveying path communication slave station 11 are connected by daisy chain connection, and control data can be transmitted and received between the communication master station 31 and the conveying path communication slave station 11 via the communication slave station 32.

[0150] In addition, the control controller 30W does not necessarily need to connect the communication slave station 32C of the drive controller 302C to the first communication line 50, as long as it can form a communication network for transmitting and receiving control data between the control controller 30W and the conveying path unit 10. For example, the control controller 30W can connect the communication master station 31 of the position instruction controller 301 and the conveying path communication slave station 11 of the conveying path unit 10 via the first communication line 50, thereby forming a communication network for transmitting and receiving control data between the control controller 30W and the conveying path unit 10.

[0151] On this basis, if Fig. 9 As shown, in the structure in which the communication master station 31 and the communication slave station 32 are daisy-chain connected, when the communication master station 31 transmits and receives control data with the conveying path communication slave station 11 of the conveying path unit 10, the communication master station 31 transmits and receives via the third communication line 80 connecting the communication master station 31 and the communication slave station 32A, the communication slave station 32A, the drive controller communication line 90 connecting the communication slave station 32A and the communication slave station 32B, the communication slave station 32B, the drive controller communication line 90 connecting the communication slave station 32B and the communication slave station 32C, the communication slave station 32C, and the first communication line 50. In other words, the communication master station 31 transmits and receives with the conveying path communication slave station 11 of the conveying path unit 10 via the first communication line 50. In the structure as described above, it can be said that the control controller 30W transmits and receives control data with the conveying path communication slave station 11 of the conveying path unit 10. By adopting the daisy chain connection as described above, the transmission and reception of control data between the communication master station 31 and the transmission path communication slave station 11 can adopt serial communication, and the increase of communication lines can be suppressed.

[0152] The communication master station 31 of the position command controller 301 involved in this embodiment 2 is configured to send generated data to the communication slave station 32 in the same manner as in the above-mentioned embodiment 1. In addition, the communication master station 31 of the position command controller 301 is configured to send control data to the conveying path communication slave station 11 in the same manner as in the above-mentioned embodiment 1. Furthermore, the communication master station 31 of the position command controller 301 is configured to receive generated data from multiple communication slave stations 32. Furthermore, the communication master station 31 of the position command controller 301 is configured to receive control data from multiple conveying path communication slave stations 11. On this basis, the communication control in the communication master station 31 of the position command controller 301 is performed in the same manner as in the above-mentioned embodiment 1, using the transmission channel, the reception channel and the communication frame. That is, the control controller 30W involved in embodiment 2 functions in the same manner as the above-mentioned control controller 30.

[0153] Fig.10 30A is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the control controller according to the second embodiment. The hardware of the control controller 30W is divided into a position command controller 301 and a drive controller 302. The position command controller 301 includes a first communication interface (first communication I / F) 3001 functioning as a communication master 31, a first processor 3005 functioning as a position command generator 33, a position generator 34, and a current command generator 36, and a memory 3009 for reading and writing various data used in various operations in the first processor 3005. The drive controller 302A includes a second communication interface (second communication I / F) 3002 functioning as a communication slave 32A, a second processor 3006 functioning as a position controller 35A, and a memory 3009A for reading and writing various data used in various operations in the second processor 3006. The drive controller 302B includes a third communication interface (third communication I / F) 3003 functioning as a communication slave station 32B, a third processor 3007 functioning as a position controller 35B, and a memory 3009B for reading and writing various data used in various operations in the third processor 3007. The drive controller 302C includes a fourth communication interface (fourth communication I / F) 3004 functioning as a communication slave station 32C, a fourth processor 3008 functioning as a position controller 35C, and a memory 3009C for reading and writing various data used in various operations in the fourth processor 3008.

[0154] The first processor 3005 to the fourth processor 3008 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted. The memories 3009 and 3009A to 3009C include a nonvolatile memory for storing the operation programs etc. executed by the first processor 3005 to the fourth processor 3008 and a volatile memory for serving as a working memory during the operations of the first processor 3005 to the fourth processor 3008.

[0155] In addition, Fig.10 In the figure, the hardware structure of the position command controller 301 is illustrated as an example, and the processor that functions as the position command generator 33, the position generator 34, and the current command generator 36 is illustrated as the first processor 3005. However, it is also possible to have a structure with multiple processors, such as a processor that functions as the position command generator 33, a processor that functions as the position generator 34, and a processor that functions as the current command generator 36.

[0156] The control controller 30W and the conveying path unit 10 according to the second embodiment are different from those used in the first embodiment. Figure 7 and Figure 8 The described operation is performed in the same manner to control the movable body 20 in the transport system 1W, and therefore a specific description thereof will be omitted.

[0157] As described above, the conveying system 1W according to the second embodiment, like the conveying system 1 according to the first embodiment, can control the movement of the moving body 20 with high precision even when the moving body 20 in the conveying system 1W is located at the boundary between the conveying path units 10, and can suppress the cost increase of the electric circuit such as the inverter circuit 122 included in one driving element. In addition, the conveying system 1W according to the second embodiment, like the conveying system 1 according to the first embodiment, does not need to have the position controller 35 in each of the conveying path units 10, and the maximum number of the drive controllers 302 having the position controller 35 can be set to be less than or equal to the number of the moving bodies 20, so that the control system 30W and the conveying path unit 10 can be suppressed from being enlarged and costly. In addition, in the conveying system 1W, the moving body 20 is always assigned a predetermined position controller 35, so it is not necessary to perform a process such as assigning the control of the moving body 20 during the operation of the conveying system 1W. Therefore, in the transport system 1W according to the second embodiment, the control system does not increase in size or cost, and the control stop of the moving body 20 of the transport system 1W can be suppressed.

[0158] Furthermore, the conveying system 1W according to the second embodiment comprises a control controller 30W by means of a position command controller 301 and a drive controller 302. Furthermore, the drive controller 302 is configured to generate a drive command value of the assigned moving body 20. As described above, the control controller 30W is configured by means of two separate controllers, namely, the position command controller 301 and the drive controller 302, thereby reducing the control load of one controller and suppressing the control delay of the control controller 30W.

[0159] Furthermore, the control controller 30W is separately constituted by the position command controller 301 and the drive controller 302, the drive controller 302 and the position command controller 301 are connected by the third communication line 80, and the drive controllers 302 are connected to each other by the drive controller communication line 90, so that the number of drive controllers 302 can be easily changed. Therefore, even if the number of moving bodies 20 moving in the conveying path of the conveying system 1W is changed, the control system structure of the conveying system 1W can be easily changed by changing the number of drive controllers 302. For example, when the number of moving bodies 20 moving in the conveying path of the conveying system 1W increases, the conveying system 1W can easily change the control system structure by increasing the number of drive controllers 302 of the control controller 30W. In addition, when the number of moving bodies 20 moving in the conveying path of the conveying system 1W decreases, the conveying system 1W can easily change the control system structure by reducing the number of drive controllers 302 of the control controller 30W. That is, the transport system 1W according to the second embodiment can provide a transport system that can be easily expanded and modified.

[0160] Implementation method 3.

[0161] A conveying system according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described. The same reference numerals are used to describe the same structures as those in Embodiments 1 and 2, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted. The structures different from those in Embodiments 1 and 2 will be described in detail below.

[0162] Fig.11 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the structure of a conveying system according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. Fig.11As shown, the transport system 1X has a plurality of transport path units 10A to 10H constituting the transport path of the plurality of moving bodies 20A to 20C and a power supply unit 40 for supplying power to the transport path units 10A to 10H, similarly to the first embodiment. In addition, in the transport system 1X involved in the third embodiment, a control controller 30X for controlling the operation of the plurality of moving bodies 20A to 20C is provided instead of the control controllers 30 and 30W. The control controller 30X is composed of a position command controller 301X, a drive controller 302, and a track controller 303. That is, the position command controller 301X, the drive controller 302, and the track controller 303 are respectively configured as different frames, and these controllers operate, thereby functioning as the control controller 30X for implementing multi-master communication control.

[0163] like Fig.11 As shown, the position command controller 301X has a first communication master station 31-1 and a position command generator 33. The position command generator 33 is connected to the first communication master station 31-1 via an internal bus in the position command controller 301X. The position command generator 33 has the same function as that of the above-mentioned embodiment 1, and generates a position command value of the mobile body 20. In addition, the position command value of the mobile body 20 is an example of generated data.

[0164] The drive controller 302 includes the communication slave station 32 and the position controller 35, similarly to the second embodiment. The position controller 35 is connected to the communication slave station 32 via an internal bus in the drive controller 302. The drive controller 302 has the same functions as those in the second embodiment.

[0165] In this third embodiment, the drive controller 302 is as follows: Fig.11 As shown, there are three drive controllers 302A, 302B, and 302C. In addition, the drive controller 302A has a communication slave station 32A and a position controller 35A, the drive controller 302B has a communication slave station 32B and a position controller 35B, and the drive controller 302C has a communication slave station 32C and a position controller 35C. When there is no need to distinguish and explain these drive controllers 302A, 302B, 302C, communication slave stations 32A, 32B, 32C, and position controllers 35A, 35B, and 35C, they are sometimes simply referred to as drive controller 302, communication slave station 32, and position controller 35. The position controller 35 of the drive controller 302 is configured to be assigned to the moving body 20 of the conveying system 1X and generate a drive command value of the assigned moving body 20. In addition, the drive command value of the moving body 20 is an example of generated data.

[0166] This third embodiment, similarly to the second embodiment, illustrates a mode in which the conveying system 1X has three moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C, and one position controller 35 is assigned to one moving body 20. In addition, the number of moving bodies 20 assigned to the position controller 35 of the drive controller 302 can be arbitrarily determined similarly to the second embodiment. In addition, the number of communication slave stations 32 and position controllers 35 that one drive controller 302 has can be arbitrarily configured similarly to the second embodiment.

[0167] The track controller 303 includes a second communication master station 31-2, a position generator 34, and a current command generator 36. The position generator 34 and the current command generator 36 are connected to the second communication master station 31-2 via an internal bus in the track controller 303. The position generator 34 and the current command generator 36 have the same functions as those in the first embodiment described above. The position generator 34 generates position information of the moving body 20, and the current command generator 36 generates a current command value of the conveying path unit 10. The position information of the moving body 20 is an example of generated data, and the current command value of the conveying path unit 10 is an example of control data.

[0168] As described above, in the control controller 30X involved in this embodiment 3, the communication master station 31 described in the embodiment 1 is divided into the first communication master station 31-1 and the second communication master station 31-2, and the same actions as the communication master station 31 are performed by the first communication master station 31-1 and the second communication master station 31-2.

[0169] Here, the connection of the first communication master station 31-1 of the position command controller 301X in the control controller 30X involved in the present embodiment 3, the communication slave station 32 of the drive controller 302, the second communication master station 31-2 of the track controller 303, and the conveying path communication slave station 11 of the conveying path unit 10 is described. In the conveying system 1X of the present embodiment 3, the position command controller 301X and the drive controller 302 constituting the control controller 30X are connected via the third communication line 80. In addition, the drive controllers 302 are connected to each other via the drive controller communication line 90. Moreover, the drive controller 302 and the track controller 303 are connected via the fourth communication line 100. The control controller 30X and the conveying path unit 10 are connected via the first communication line 50.

[0170] Specifically, if Fig.11As shown, the first communication master station 31-1 of the position command controller 301X is connected to the communication slave station 32A of the drive controller 302A via the third communication line 80. The communication slave station 32A of the drive controller 302A is connected to the communication slave station 32B of the drive controller 302B via the drive controller communication line 90. Moreover, the communication slave station 32B of the drive controller 302B is connected to the communication slave station 32C of the drive controller 302C via the drive controller communication line 90. Moreover, the communication slave station 32C of the drive controller 302C is connected to the second communication master station 31-2 of the track controller 303 via the fourth communication line 100. Thus, the position command controller 301X, the drive controller 302 and the track controller 303 can communicate with each other, forming the control controller 30X. Furthermore, the first communication master station 31-1 of the position command controller 301X, the communication slave stations 32A, 32B, 32C of the drive controllers 302A, 302B, 302C, and the second communication master station 31-2 of the track controller 303 are connected by daisy chain connection, and the generated data including various command values ​​and information for generating control data can be sent and received between the first communication master station 31-1, the communication slave station 32, and the second communication master station 31-2. By adopting the daisy chain connection as described above, the transmission and reception of the generated data between the first and second communication master stations 31-1, 31-2 and the communication slave station 32 can adopt serial communication, and the increase of communication lines can be suppressed. In addition, the second communication master station 31-2 of the track controller 303 is connected to the conveying path communication slave station 11A of the conveying path unit 10A via the first communication line 50. Thus, the control controller 30X and the conveying path unit 10 constitute a communication network that can communicate with each other.

[0171] Moreover, if Fig.11As shown, in the structure in which the first communication master station 31-1 and the communication slave station 32 are daisy-chain connected, when the first communication master station 31-1 transmits and receives the generated data with the communication slave station 32A, the transmission and reception are performed via the third communication line 80 connecting the first communication master station 31-1 and the communication slave station 32A. When the first communication master station 31-1 transmits and receives the generated data with the communication slave station 32B, the transmission and reception are performed via the third communication line 80 connecting the first communication master station 31-1 and the communication slave station 32A, the communication slave station 32A, and the drive controller communication line 90 connecting the communication slave station 32A and the communication slave station 32B. In other words, the communication slave station 32B transmits and receives with the first communication master station 31-1 via the communication slave station 32A. When the first communication master station 31-1 transmits and receives the generated data with the communication slave station 32C, the transmission and reception is performed via the third communication line 80 connecting the first communication master station 31-1 and the communication slave station 32A, the communication slave station 32A, the drive controller communication line 90 connecting the communication slave station 32A and the communication slave station 32B, and the communication slave station 32B, the drive controller communication line 90 connecting the communication slave station 32B and the communication slave station 32C. In other words, the communication slave station 32C transmits and receives with the first communication master station 31-1 via the communication slave station 32A and the communication slave station 32B. In the above-mentioned structure, it can be said that the first communication master station 31-1 transmits and receives the generated data with the communication slave stations 32A, 32B, and 32C. In addition, the first communication master station 31-1 is configured to have two channels, namely, a transmission channel and a reception channel.

[0172] And, if Fig.11As shown, in the structure in which the second communication master station 31-2 and the communication slave station 32 are daisy-chain connected, when the second communication master station 31-2 transmits and receives data with the communication slave station 32C, the second communication master station 31-2 transmits and receives data via the fourth communication line 100 connecting the second communication master station 31-2 and the communication slave station 32C. When the second communication master station 31-2 transmits and receives data with the communication slave station 32B, the second communication master station 31-2 transmits and receives data via the fourth communication line 100 connecting the second communication master station 31-2 and the communication slave station 32C, the communication slave station 32C, and the drive controller communication line 90 connecting the communication slave station 32C and the communication slave station 32B. In other words, the communication slave station 32B transmits and receives data with the second communication master station 31-2 via the communication slave station 32C. When the second communication master station 31-2 transmits and receives the generated data with the communication slave station 32A, the second communication master station 31-2 transmits and receives the generated data via the fourth communication line 100 connecting the second communication master station 31-2 and the communication slave station 32C, the communication slave station 32C, the drive controller communication line 90 connecting the communication slave station 32C and the communication slave station 32B, and the communication slave station 32B, and the drive controller communication line 90 connecting the communication slave station 32B and the communication slave station 32A. In other words, the communication slave station 32A transmits and receives the generated data with the second communication master station 31-2 via the communication slave station 32C and the communication slave station 32B. In the above-mentioned structure, it can be said that the second communication master station 31-2 transmits and receives the generated data with the communication slave stations 32A, 32B, and 32C. In addition, the second communication master station 31-2 is configured to have two channels, namely, a transmission channel and a reception channel.

[0173] In addition, if Fig.11 As shown, the second communication master station 31-2 is connected to the communication slave station 32C and is connected to the first communication line 50 connected to the conveying path unit 10. Specifically, the second communication master station 31-2 of the track controller 303 and the conveying path communication slave station 11 of the conveying path unit 10 are connected via the first communication line 50, thereby forming a communication network for transmitting and receiving control data between the control controller 30X and the conveying path unit 10. That is, the communication slave station 32 and the conveying path communication slave station 11 are connected by daisy chain connection, and control data can be transmitted and received between the second communication master station 31-2 and the conveying path communication slave station 11. In the above-mentioned structure, it can be said that the control controller 30X transmits and receives control data with the conveying path communication slave station 11 of the conveying path unit 10. Moreover, by adopting the daisy chain connection, the transmission and reception of control data between the second communication master station 31-2 and the conveying path communication slave station 11 can adopt serial communication, which can suppress the increase of communication lines.

[0174] The first communication master station 31-1 of the position command controller 301X and the second communication master station 31-2 of the track controller 303 according to the third embodiment are configured to send generated data to the communication slave station 32. As an example, the first communication master station 31-1 and the second communication master station 31-2 are configured to designate a desired communication slave station 32 as a communication target for a plurality of communication slave stations 32A to 32C, and to send generated data to the designated communication slave station 32. In addition, the plurality of communication slave stations 32A to 32C are configured to designate the desired first communication master station 31-1 and the second communication master station 31-2 as communication targets for the first communication master station 31-1 of the position command controller 301X and the second communication master station 31-2 of the track controller 303, and to transmit and receive generated data to and from the designated first communication master station 31-1 and the second communication master station 31-2. Furthermore, the second communication master station 31-2 of the track controller 303 is configured to send control data to the conveying path communication slave station 11. As an example, the second communication master station 31-2 is configured to designate a desired conveying path communication slave station 11 as a communication target for a plurality of conveying path communication slave stations 11A to 11H, and to send control data to the designated desired conveying path communication slave station 11. Furthermore, the second communication master station 31-2 of the track controller 303 is configured to receive control data from a plurality of conveying path communication slave stations 11. On this basis, the communication control in the first communication master station 31-1 of the position instruction controller 301X and the second communication master station 31-2 of the track controller 303 is performed in the same manner as in the above-mentioned embodiments 1 and 2, using a sending channel, a receiving channel, and a communication frame. That is, in the control controller 30X, the communication master station is divided into the first communication master station 31-1 of the position instruction controller 301X and the second communication master station 31-2 of the track controller 303, but through the first communication master station 31-1 and the second communication master station 31-2, the same function as the communication master station 31 described in the above-mentioned embodiments 1 and 2 can also be realized.

[0175] Fig.121 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the control controller according to the third embodiment. The hardware of the control controller 30X is divided into a position command controller 301X, a drive controller 302, and a track controller 303. The position command controller 301X includes a fifth communication interface (fifth communication I / F) 3001-1 functioning as a first communication master station 31-1, a fifth processor 3005-1 functioning as a position command generator 33, and a memory 3009-1 for reading and writing various data used in various operations in the fifth processor 3005-1. The drive controller 302A includes a second communication interface (second communication I / F) 3002 functioning as a communication slave station 32A, a second processor 3006 functioning as a position controller 35A, and a memory 3009A for reading and writing various data used in various operations in the second processor 3006. The drive controller 302B includes a third communication interface (third communication I / F) 3003 functioning as a communication slave 32B, a third processor 3007 functioning as a position controller 35B, and a memory 3009B for reading and writing various data used for various operations in the third processor 3007. The drive controller 302C includes a fourth communication interface (fourth communication I / F) 3004 functioning as a communication slave 32C, a fourth processor 3008 functioning as a position controller 35C, and a memory 3009C for reading and writing various data used for various operations in the fourth processor 3008. The track controller 303 includes a sixth communication interface (sixth communication I / F) 3001-2 functioning as a second communication master 31-2, a sixth processor 3005-2 functioning as a position generator 34 and a current command generator 36, and a memory 3009-2 for reading and writing various data used for various operations in the sixth processor 3005-2.

[0176] The second processor 3006 to the fourth processor 3008 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted. 3009A to 3009C are the same as those in the second embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted. The fifth processor 3005-1 is a processor capable of calculating the position instruction value as the position instruction generator 33, and can be, for example, a microprocessor, a single chip microcomputer, a microcomputer, a CPU or a DSP. The sixth processor 3005-2 is a processor capable of calculating the position information and the current instruction value of the conveying path unit 10, and can be, for example, a microprocessor, a single chip microcomputer, a microcomputer, a CPU or a DSP. The memory 3009-1 includes a non-volatile memory for storing various operation programs executed by the fifth processor 3005-1 and a volatile memory that serves as a working memory during each operation in the fifth processor 3005-1. The memory 3009 - 2 includes a nonvolatile memory for storing various operation programs and the like executed by the sixth processor 3005 - 2 and a volatile memory serving as a work memory during various operations in the sixth processor 3005 - 2 .

[0177] In addition, Fig.12 In the figure, the hardware structure of the track controller 303 is illustrated as an example, and the processor that functions as the position generator 34 and the current command generator 36 is illustrated as the sixth processor 3005-2, but it is also possible to have a structure with multiple processors, such as the processor that functions as the position generator 34 and the processor that functions as the current command generator 36.

[0178] Fig.13 This is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the control controller according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Fig.13 The operation of the control controller 30X will be described.

[0179] exist Fig.13 In step S1301 shown, the position command generator 33 of the position command controller 301X configured by the control controller 30X generates position command values ​​for each of the three moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C of the conveying system 1X. The position command generator 33 outputs the generated position command values ​​for each of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C to the first communication master station 31-1 of the position command controller 301X.

[0180] In step S1302, the position generator 34 of the track controller 303 constituted by the control controller 30X generates the position information of each of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C indicating the position of each of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C on the conveying path based on the scale detection information included in the control data received from the conveying path units 10A to 10H using the communication frames R2A to R2H. Furthermore, the position generator 34 outputs the generated position information of each of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C to the second communication master station 31-2 of the track controller 303.

[0181] In step S1303, the first communication master station 31-1 performs the first communication of transmitting the acquired position command values ​​of the respective moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C to the communication slave station 32. The second communication master station 31-2 performs the first communication of transmitting the acquired position information of the respective moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C to the communication slave station 32. Specifically, the first communication master station 31-1 transmits the position command value of the moving body 20A to the communication slave station 32A using the communication frame T1A, transmits the position command value of the moving body 20B to the communication slave station 32B using the communication frame T1B, and transmits the position command value of the moving body 20C to the communication slave station 32C using the communication frame T1C. On the other hand, the second communication master station 31 - 2 transmits the position information of the moving object 20A to the communication slave station 32A using the communication frame T1A, transmits the position information of the moving object 20B to the communication slave station 32B using the communication frame T1A, and transmits the position information of the moving object 20C to the communication slave station 32C using the communication frame T1A.

[0182] In step S1304, the position controllers 35A, 35B, 35C of the drive controllers 302A, 302B, 302C generate the drive command values ​​of the respective moving bodies 20A, 20B, 20C based on the position command values ​​and position information of the respective moving bodies 20A, 20B, 20C received from the communication slave stations 32A, 32B, 32C. And the position controllers 35A, 35B, 35C output the generated drive command values ​​of the respective moving bodies 20A, 20B, 20C to the communication slave stations 32A, 32B, 32C. Specifically, the position controller 35A obtains the position command value and position information of the moving body 20A from the communication slave station 32A connected via the internal bus, generates the drive command value of the moving body 20A based on the position command value and position information of the moving body 20A, and outputs the generated drive command value of the moving body 20A to the communication slave station 32A. Similarly, the position controllers 35B and 35C generate a drive command value for the moving body 20B and a drive command value for the moving body 20C, respectively, and output them to the communication slave stations 32B and 32C connected via the internal bus, respectively.

[0183] In step S1305, the communication slave stations 32A, 32B, and 32C of the drive controllers 302A, 302B, and 302C perform the second communication of sending the acquired drive command values ​​of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C to the second communication master station 31-2. Specifically, the communication slave station 32A uses the communication frame R1A composed of the header, the footer, and the payload to send the drive command value of the moving body 20A to the second communication master station 31-2. In addition, the communication slave stations 32B and 32C use the communication frames R1B and R1C to send the drive command value of the moving body 20B and the drive command value of the moving body 20C to the second communication master station 31-2.

[0184] In step S1306, the current command generator 36 of the track controller 303 generates the current command value of the conveying path unit 10A to 10H based on the position information of each of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C generated by the position generator 34 and the drive command value of each of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C received by the second communication master station 31-2. In addition, the position information of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C can be read and obtained from the memory possessed by the track controller 303. The current command generator 36 obtains the drive command value of the moving body 20A, the drive command value of the moving body 20B, and the drive command value of the moving body 20C from the second communication master station 31-2 connected via the internal bus. Moreover, the current command generator 36 obtains the position information of the moving body 20A, the position information of the moving body 20B, and the position information of the moving body 20C from the memory of the track controller 303. The current command generator 36 generates current command values ​​for the transport path units 10A to 10H based on the drive commands and position information of the movable bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C, and outputs them to the communication master station 31. The current command generator 36 generates current command values ​​in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and therefore detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0185] In step S1307, the second communication master station 31-2 of the track controller 303 performs the third communication of transmitting the acquired current command values ​​of each of the conveying path units 10A to 10H to the conveying path communication slave station 11. Specifically, the second communication master station 31-2 transmits the current command value of the conveying path unit 10A to the conveying path communication slave station 11A using the communication frame T2A composed of the header, the trailer, and the payload. Similarly, the second communication master station 31-2 transmits the current command value of each of the conveying path units 10B to 10H to the conveying path communication slave stations 11B to 11H using the communication frames T2B to T2H.

[0186] The conveyance path unit 10 according to the third embodiment is different from the conveyance path unit 10 used in the first embodiment. Figure 8The operations of step S801 to step S804 described above are performed in the same manner to control the movable body 20 in the transport system 1X. The operation of step S805 of the transport path unit 10 according to the third embodiment is different, and therefore will be described below.

[0187] Fig.14 1 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the transport path unit according to Embodiment 3. After the transport path unit 10 according to Embodiment 3 operates in the same manner as Steps S801 to S804, Fig.14 Step S1405 shown. In step S1405, the conveying path communication slave station 11 of each conveying path unit 10 implements the sixth communication of sending the acquired scale detection information toward the second communication master station 31-2. Specifically, the conveying path communication slave station 11A uses a communication frame R2A composed of a header, a tail, and a payload portion to send the scale detection information calculated by the position operator 14A of the conveying path unit 10A toward the second communication master station 31-2 included in the control controller 30X. Similarly, the conveying path communication slave stations 11B to 11H of the conveying path units 10B to 10H use communication frames R2B to R2H to sequentially send the scale detection information calculated by the position operators 14B to 14H of the conveying path units 10B to 10H toward the second communication master station 31-2 included in the control controller 30X.

[0188] As described above, the control controller 30X according to the third embodiment is configured to function in the same manner as the communication master station 31 through the first communication master station 31-1 and the second communication master station 31-2, and thus function in the same manner as the control controllers 30 and 30W. Therefore, as in the first and second embodiments, even when the moving body 20 moving in the conveying system 1X is located at the boundary between the conveying path units 10, the movement of the moving body 20 can be controlled with high precision, and the cost increase of the electrical circuit such as the inverter circuit 122 included in one driving element can be suppressed. In addition, the conveying system 1X according to the third embodiment does not need to have the position controller 35 in each conveying path unit 10, and the maximum number of the drive controllers 302 having the position controller 35 can be set to be less than or equal to the number of the moving bodies 20, so that the control system of the control controller 30X and the conveying path unit 10 can be suppressed from being enlarged and costly. In addition, in the conveying system 1X, the movable body 20 is always assigned a predetermined position controller 35, so during the operation of the conveying system 1X, there is no need to perform such a process as assigning the control of the movable body 20. Therefore, in the conveying system 1X involved in the third embodiment, the control system does not become large-scale and costly, and the control stop of the movable body 20 of the conveying system 1X can be suppressed.

[0189] Furthermore, the conveying system 1X involved in the present embodiment 3 is constituted by a control controller 30X by a position command controller 301X, a drive controller 302, and a track controller 303. Furthermore, the position command controller 301X is configured to generate a position command value of a moving body 20 moving along the conveying path of the conveying system 1X. The drive controller 302 is configured to generate a drive command value of the assigned moving body 20. The track controller 303 is configured to generate position information of the moving body 20 moving along the conveying path of the conveying system 1X, and current command values ​​of all conveying path units 10 constituting the conveying path of the conveying system 1X. As described above, the control controller 30X is separately constituted by three controllers, namely, the position command controller 301X, the drive controller 302, and the track controller 303, thereby reducing the control load of one controller and suppressing the control delay of the control controller 30X.

[0190] On this basis, the control controller 30X connects the position command controller 301X and the drive controller 302 through the third communication line 80, and connects the track controller 303 and the drive controller 302 through the fourth communication line 100. As described above, the control controller 30X can expand the communication band by separating the communication lines for sending and receiving the generated data, and can shorten the communication cycle between the position command controller 301X and the drive controller 302, and the communication cycle between the track controller 303 and the drive controller 302. Therefore, the control controller 30X can suppress control delay and improve the control performance of the moving body 20.

[0191] In addition, the control controller 30X connects the drive controller 302 and the position command controller 301X via the third communication line 80, and the drive controllers 302 are connected to each other via the drive controller communication line 90, so that the number of drive controllers 302 can be easily changed as in the above-mentioned embodiment 2. Therefore, even if the number of moving bodies 20 moving in the conveying path of the conveying system 1X is changed, the control system structure of the conveying system 1X can be easily changed by changing the number of drive controllers 302. That is, the conveying system 1X involved in this embodiment 3 can provide a conveying system that can be easily expanded and changed.

[0192] Implementation method 4.

[0193] A conveying system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The same reference numerals are used to indicate the same configuration as in the first to third embodiments, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted. Configurations different from those in the first to third embodiments will be described in detail below.

[0194] Fig.15 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the structure of a conveying system according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. Fig.15 As shown, the transport system 1Y has a plurality of transport path units 10A to 10H constituting the transport path of the plurality of moving bodies 20A to 20C and a power supply unit 40 for supplying power to the transport path units 10A to 10H, similarly to the first embodiment. In addition, in the transport system 1Y involved in the fourth embodiment, a control controller 30Y for controlling the movement of the plurality of moving bodies 20A to 20C is provided instead of the control controllers 30, 30W, and 30X. The control controller 30Y is composed of a position command controller 301X, a drive controller 302Y, and a track controller 303Y. That is, the position command controller 301X, the drive controller 302Y, and the track controller 303Y are respectively configured as different frames, and these controllers operate to function as the control controller 30Y.

[0195] like Fig.15 As shown, the position command controller 301X has the first communication master station 31-1 and the position command generator 33, similarly to the above-mentioned embodiment 3. The position command generator 33 is connected to the first communication master station 31-1 via the internal bus in the position command controller 301X. The position command generator 33 has the same function as that of the above-mentioned embodiment 1, and generates the position command value of the mobile body 20. In addition, the position command value of the mobile body 20 is an example of generated data.

[0196] The drive controller 302Y has a first communication slave station 32-1, a second communication slave station 32-2, and a position controller 35. The position controller 35 is connected to the first communication slave station 32-1 and the second communication slave station 32-2 via an internal bus in the drive controller 302Y. The position controller 35 has the same function as that of the above-mentioned embodiment 1. The drive controller 302Y involved in this embodiment 4 is configured by dividing the communication slave station 32 described in the embodiment 3 into two, namely, the first communication slave station 32-1 and the second communication slave station 32-2, and performs the same operation as the communication slave station 32 through the first communication slave station 32-1 and the second communication slave station 32-2.

[0197] In this embodiment 4, the drive controller 302Y is as follows Fig.15As shown, there are three drive controllers 302YA, 302YB, and 302YC. Furthermore, the drive controller 302YA has a first communication slave station 32-1A, a second communication slave station 32-2A, and a position controller 35A, the drive controller 302YB has a first communication slave station 32-1B, a second communication slave station 32-2B, and a position controller 35B, and the drive controller 302YC has a first communication slave station 32-1C, a second communication slave station 32-2C, and a position controller 35C. When there is no need to distinguish and explain each of these drive controllers 302YA, 302YB, 302YC, the first communication slave station 32-1A, 32-1B, 32-1C, the second communication slave station 32-2A, 32-2B, 32-2C, and the position controllers 35A, 35B, 35C, they are sometimes simply referred to as the drive controller 302Y, the first communication slave station 32-1, the second communication slave station 32-2, and the position controller 35. The position controller 35 of the drive controller 302Y is configured to be assigned to the moving body 20 of the conveying system 1Y and to generate a drive command value of the assigned moving body 20. In addition, the drive command value of the moving body 20 is an example of generated data.

[0198] This embodiment 4, like the above-mentioned embodiments 1 to 3, illustrates a method in which the conveying system 1Y has three moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C, and one position controller 35 is assigned to one moving body 20. In addition, the number of moving bodies 20 assigned to the position controller 35 of the drive controller 302Y can be arbitrarily determined, like the above-mentioned embodiments 1 to 3.

[0199] The track controller 303Y has a third communication master station 31-3, a fourth communication master station 31-4, a position generator 34, and a current command generator 36. The position generator 34 and the current command generator 36 are connected to the third communication master station 31-3 and the fourth communication master station 31-4 via an internal bus in the track controller 303Y. The position generator 34 and the current command generator 36 have the same functions as those in the first embodiment described above. The position generator 34 generates the position information of the moving body 20, and the current command generator 36 generates the current command value of the conveying path unit 10. In addition, the position information of the moving body 20 is an example of generated data, and the current command value of the conveying path unit 10 is an example of control data.

[0200] The track controller 303Y involved in the present embodiment 4 is constituted by dividing the second communication master station 31-2 described in the embodiment 3 into two, namely the third communication master station 31-3 and the fourth communication master station 31-4, and the third communication master station 31-3 and the fourth communication master station 31-4 perform the same operation as the second communication master station 31-2. Moreover, the control controller 30Y involved in the present embodiment 4 is constituted by dividing the communication master station 31 described in the embodiment 1 into three, namely the first communication master station 31-1, the third communication master station 31-3 and the fourth communication master station 31-4, and the first communication master station 31-1, the third communication master station 31-3 and the fourth communication master station 31-4 perform the same operation as the communication master station 31.

[0201] Here, the connection between the first communication master station 31-1 of the position command controller 301X and the first communication slave station 32-1 of the drive controller 302Y in the control controller 30Y involved in the fourth embodiment, the connection between the third communication master station 31-3 of the track controller 303Y and the second communication slave station 32-2 of the drive controller 302Y, and the connection between the fourth communication master station 31-4 of the track controller 303Y and the conveying path communication slave station 11 of the conveying path unit 10 are described. In the conveying system 1Y of the fourth embodiment, the position command controller 301X and the drive controller 302Y constituting the control controller 30Y are connected via the third communication line 80. In addition, the drive controllers 302Y are connected to each other via the first drive controller communication line 91 and the second drive controller communication line 92. Moreover, the drive controller 302Y and the track controller 303Y are connected via the fourth communication line 100. The control controller 30Y and the conveying path unit 10 are connected via the first communication line 50.

[0202] Specifically, if Fig.15As shown, the first communication master station 31-1 of the position command controller 301X is connected to the first communication slave station 32-1A of the drive controller 302YA via the third communication line 80. The first communication slave station 32-1A of the drive controller 302YA is connected to the first communication slave station 32-1B of the drive controller 302YB via the first drive controller communication line 91. Moreover, the first communication slave station 32-1B of the drive controller 302YB is connected to the first communication slave station 32-1C of the drive controller 302YC via the first drive controller communication line 91. On this basis, the third communication master station 31-3 of the track controller 303Y is connected to the second communication slave station 32-2A of the drive controller 302YC via the fourth communication line 100. The second communication slave station 32-2A of the drive controller 302YC is connected to the second communication slave station 32-2B of the drive controller 302YB via the second drive controller communication line 92. The second communication slave station 32-2B of the drive controller 302YB is connected to the second communication slave station 32-2C of the drive controller 302YA via the second drive controller communication line 92. Thus, the position command controller 301X, the drive controller 302Y and the track controller 303Y can communicate with each other, and constitute the control controller 30Y.

[0203] Furthermore, the first communication master station 31-1 of the position command controller 301X and the first communication slave stations 32-1A, 32-1B, 32-1C of the drive controllers 302YA, 302YB, 302YC are connected by a daisy chain connection, and the generated data including various command values ​​and information for generating control data can be transmitted and received between the first communication master station 31-1 and the first communication slave stations 32-1A, 32-1B, 32-1C. In addition, the third communication master station 31-3 of the track controller 303Y and the second communication slave stations 32-2A, 32-2B, 32-2C of the drive controllers 302YA, 302YB, 302YC are connected by a daisy chain connection, and the generated data including various command values ​​and information for generating control data can be transmitted and received between the third communication master station 31-3 and the second communication slave stations 32-2A, 32-2B, 32-2C. By adopting the daisy chain connection as described above, the transmission and reception of the generated data between the first and third communication master stations 31-1, 31-3 and the first and second communication slave stations 32-1, 32-2 can adopt serial communication, which can suppress the increase of communication lines. In addition, the fourth communication master station 31-4 of the track controller 303Y is connected to the conveying path communication slave station 11A of the conveying path unit 10A via the first communication line 50. Thus, the control controller 30Y and the conveying path unit 10 constitute a communication network that can communicate with each other.

[0204] like Fig.15As shown, in the structure in which the first communication master station 31-1 and the first communication slave station 32-1 are daisy-chain connected, the first communication master station 31-1 performs transmission and reception with the first communication slave station 32-1 through the following communication path. When the first communication master station 31-1 performs transmission and reception of generated data with the first communication slave station 32-1A, the transmission and reception is performed via the third communication line 80 connecting the first communication master station 31-1 and the first communication slave station 32-1A. When the first communication master station 31-1 performs transmission and reception of generated data with the first communication slave station 32-1B, the transmission and reception is performed via the third communication line 80 connecting the first communication master station 31-1 and the first communication slave station 32-1A, the first communication slave station 32-1A, and the first drive controller communication line 91 connecting the first communication slave station 32-1A and the first communication slave station 32-1B. In other words, the first communication slave station 32-1B performs transmission and reception with the first communication master station 31-1 via the first communication slave station 32-1A. When the first communication master station 31-1 performs transmission and reception of generated data with the first communication slave station 32-1C, the first communication master station 31-1 performs transmission and reception via the third communication line 80 connecting the first communication master station 31-1 and the first communication slave station 32-1A, the first communication slave station 32-1A, the first drive controller communication line 91 connecting the first communication slave station 32-1A and the first communication slave station 32-1B, and the first drive controller communication line 91 connecting the first communication slave station 32-1B and the first communication slave station 32-1C. In other words, the first communication slave station 32-1C performs transmission and reception with the first communication master station 31-1 via the first communication slave station 32-1A and the first communication slave station 32-1B. In the above-described configuration, the first communication master station 31 - 1 can also be said to transmit and receive the generated data with the first communication slave stations 32 - 1A, 32 - 1B, and 32 - 1C. The first communication master station 31 - 1 is configured to have two channels, namely, a transmission channel and a reception channel.

[0205] And, if Fig.15As shown, in the structure in which the third communication master station 31-3 and the second communication slave station 32-2 are daisy-chain connected, the third communication master station 31-3 performs transmission and reception with the second communication slave station 32-2 through the following communication path. When the third communication master station 31-3 performs transmission and reception with the second communication slave station 32-2C, the third communication master station 31-3 performs transmission and reception via the fourth communication line 100 connecting the third communication master station 31-3 and the second communication slave station 32-2C. When the third communication master station 31-3 performs transmission and reception with the second communication slave station 32-2B, the third communication master station 31-3 performs transmission and reception via the fourth communication line 100 connecting the third communication master station 31-3 and the second communication slave station 32-2C, the second communication slave station 32-2C, and the second drive controller communication line 92 connecting the second communication slave station 32-2C and the second communication slave station 32-2B. In other words, the second communication slave station 32-2B performs transmission and reception with the third communication master station 31-3 via the second communication slave station 32-2C. When the third communication master station 31-3 performs transmission and reception of generated data with the second communication slave station 32-2A, it performs transmission and reception via the fourth communication line 100 connecting the third communication master station 31-3 and the second communication slave station 32-2C, the second communication slave station 32-2C, the second drive controller communication line 92 connecting the second communication slave station 32-2C and the second communication slave station 32-2B, the second communication slave station 32-2B, and the second drive controller communication line 92 connecting the second communication slave station 32-2B and the second communication slave station 32-2A. In other words, the second communication slave station 32-2A performs transmission and reception with the third communication master station 31-3 via the second communication slave station 32-2C and the second communication slave station 32-2B. In the above configuration, the third communication master station 31 - 3 can also be said to transmit and receive the generated data with the second communication slave stations 32 - 2A, 32 - 2B, and 32 - 2C. The third communication master station 31 - 3 is configured to have two channels, namely, a transmission channel and a reception channel.

[0206] In addition, if Fig.15As shown, the fourth communication master station 31-4 is connected to the first communication line 50 connected to the conveying path unit 10. Specifically, the fourth communication master station 31-4 of the track controller 303Y and the conveying path communication slave station 11 of the conveying path unit 10 are connected via the first communication line 50, thereby forming a communication network for transmitting and receiving control data between the control controller 30Y and the conveying path unit 10. That is, the fourth communication master station 31-4 and the conveying path communication slave station 11 are connected by daisy chain connection, and control data can be transmitted and received between the fourth communication master station 31-4 and the conveying path communication slave station 11. In the above-mentioned structure, it can be said that the control controller 30Y can also transmit and receive control data with the conveying path communication slave station 11 of the conveying path unit 10. Moreover, by adopting the daisy chain connection, the transmission and reception of control data between the fourth communication master station 31-4 and the conveying path communication slave station 11 can adopt serial communication, which can suppress the increase of communication lines.

[0207] The first communication master station 31-1 of the position command controller 301X involved in the present embodiment 4 is configured to send generated data to the first communication slave station 32-1. As an example, the first communication master station 31-1 is configured to designate the desired first communication slave station 32-1 as a communication target for a plurality of first communication slave stations 32-1A to 32-1C, and send generated data to the designated first communication slave station 32-1. In addition, the third communication master station 31-3 of the track controller 303Y is configured to send generated data to the second communication slave station 32-2. As an example, the third communication master station 31-3 is configured to designate the desired second communication slave station 32-2 as a communication target for a plurality of second communication slave stations 32-2A to 32-2C, and send generated data to the designated second communication slave station 32-2. In addition, the plurality of second communication slave stations 32-2A to 32-2C are configured to send generated data to the third communication master station 31-3 of the track controller 303Y. Furthermore, the fourth communication master station 31-4 of the track controller 303Y is configured to send control data to the conveying path communication slave station 11. As an example, the fourth communication master station 31-4 is configured to send control data to a desired conveying path communication slave station 11 for a plurality of conveying path communication slave stations 11A to 11H. The fourth communication master station 31-4 of the track controller 303Y is configured to receive control data from a plurality of conveying path communication slave stations 11.

[0208] That is, the communication master station of the control controller 30Y is divided into the first communication master station 31-1 of the position command controller 301X and the third communication master station 31-3 and the fourth communication master station 31-4 of the track controller 303Y, but the first communication master station 31-1, the third communication master station 31-3 and the fourth communication master station 31-4 realize the same function as the communication master station 31 described in the above embodiments 1 and 2. Hereinafter, the communication master station composed of the first communication master station 31-1, the third communication master station 31-3 and the fourth communication master station 31-4 is sometimes referred to as the communication master station 31Y. In addition, the communication slave station of the control controller 30Y is divided into the first communication slave station 32-1 and the second communication slave station 32-2 of the drive controller 302Y, but the first communication slave station 32-1 and the second communication slave station 32-2 realize the same function as the communication slave station 32 described in the above embodiments 1 to 3. Hereinafter, the communication slave station composed of the first communication slave station 32 - 1 and the second communication slave station 32 - 2 is sometimes referred to as a communication slave station 32Y.

[0209] Fig.16 FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of communication control in the communication master station according to the fourth embodiment. Fig.16 , the communication control of the communication master station related to the transmission and reception performed by the communication master station 31Y with the communication slave station 32Y, and the transmission and reception performed by the communication master station 31Y with the conveyance path communication slave station 11 possessed by the conveyance path unit 10 is specifically described.

[0210] The communication master station 31Y is configured to send generated data to the communication slave station 32Y. As an example, the communication master station 31Y is configured to designate a desired communication slave station 32Y as a communication target among a plurality of communication slave stations 32Y, and to send generated data to the designated communication slave station 32Y. The communication master station 31Y is configured to send control data to the conveying path communication slave station 11. As an example, the communication master station 31Y is configured to designate a desired conveying path communication slave station 11 as a communication target among a plurality of conveying path communication slave stations 11A to 11H, and to send control data to the designated conveying path communication slave station 11. In addition, the communication master station 31Y is configured to receive generated data from a plurality of communication slave stations 32Y. The communication master station 31Y is configured to receive control data from a plurality of conveying path communication slave stations 11.

[0211] like Fig.16As shown in (A), the first communication master station 31-1 constituting the communication master station 31Y transmits generated data including command values ​​and information for generating control data to the first communication slave station 32-1 using the transmission channel SC-1. The third communication master station 31-3 constituting the communication master station 31Y transmits and receives generated data including various command values ​​and information for generating control data to and from the second communication slave station 32-2 using the transmission channel SC-3 and the reception channel RC-3. The fourth communication master station 31-4 constituting the communication master station 31Y transmits and receives control data to and from the transmission path communication slave station 11 using the transmission channel SC-4 and the reception channel RC-4. The first communication master station 31-1 performs communication control in the following manner, that is, it transmits generated data including command values ​​and information for generating control data to the first communication slave station 32-1 using a communication frame at intervals of once every two communication cycles CTn of a predetermined constant communication cycle CTn (n is a natural number). That is, the communication cycle of the communication performed by the first communication master station 31-1 is defined as the communication cycle 2CTn. In addition, the third communication master station 31-3 performs communication control in the following manner, that is, at intervals of once per communication cycle CTn of a predetermined constant communication cycle CTn, the generated data including the command value and information for generating the control data are transmitted and received with the second communication slave station 32-2 using a communication frame. The fourth communication master station 31-4 performs communication control in the following manner, that is, at intervals of once per communication cycle CTn of a predetermined constant communication cycle CTn, the control data are transmitted and received with the transmission path communication slave station 11 using a communication frame.

[0212] Specifically, if Fig.16 As shown in (A), the first communication master station 31-1 uses the transmission channel SC-1 within the communication cycle 2CT1, specifies the first communication slave station 32-1A as the communication target, and performs the first communication of sending the communication frame TY1A to the first communication slave station 32-1A. In addition, the first communication master station 31-1 specifies the first communication slave station 32-1B as the communication target, and performs the first communication of sending the communication frame TY1B to the first communication slave station 32-1B, and specifies the first communication slave station 32-1C, and performs the first communication of sending the communication frame TY1C to the first communication slave station 32-1C. In addition, similarly to the above-mentioned embodiment 1, when the first communication master station 31-1 performs the first communication, when it is not necessary to specify each of the first communication slave stations 32-1A to 32-1C, the first communication master station 31-1 may not specify the first communication slave stations 32-1A to 32-1C. The first communication master station 31 - 1 transmits a communication frame at intervals of once per communication cycle 2CTn. Therefore, when the communication cycle 2CT2 starts, the first communication master station 31 - 1 transmits the communication frames TY1A to TY1C in the communication cycle 2CT2.

[0213] In addition, the third communication master station 31-3 uses the transmission channel SC-3 within the communication cycle CT1, specifies the second communication slave station 32-2A as the communication target, and performs the first communication of transmitting the communication frame TY2A to the second communication slave station 32-2A. The third communication master station 31-3 specifies the second communication slave station 32-2B, and performs the first communication of transmitting the communication frame TY2B to the second communication slave station 32-2B, and specifies the second communication slave station 32-2C, and performs the first communication of transmitting the communication frame TY2C to the second communication slave station 32-2C. In addition, similarly to the above-mentioned embodiment 1, when the third communication master station 31-3 performs the first communication, when it is not necessary to specify each of the second communication slave stations 32-2A to 32-2C, the third communication master station 31-3 may not specify the second communication slave stations 32-2A to 32-2C. The third communication master station 31 - 3 transmits a communication frame at intervals of once per communication cycle CTn. Therefore, when the communication cycle TC2 starts, the third communication master station 31 - 3 transmits communication frames TY2A to TY2C within the communication cycle CT2 .

[0214] In addition, the third communication master station 31-3 uses the receiving channel RC-3 in the communication cycle CT1 to receive the communication frame RY2A from the second communication slave station 32-2A, the communication frame RY2B from the second communication slave station 32-2B, and the communication frame RY2C from the second communication slave station 32-2C. In other words, the second communication slave station 32-2A performs the second communication of sending the communication frame R1A to the third communication master station 31-3, the second communication slave station 32-2B performs the second communication of sending the communication frame R1B to the third communication master station 31-3, and the second communication slave station 32-2C performs the second communication of sending the communication frame R1C to the third communication master station 31-3. In addition, the third communication master station 31-3 receives the communication frame at intervals of once per communication cycle CTn, so when the communication cycle CT2 starts, the communication frames RY2A to RY2C are received in the communication cycle CT2.

[0215] The fourth communication master station 31-4 uses the transmission channel SC-4 in the communication cycle CT1, specifies the conveying path communication slave station 11A as the communication target, and performs the third communication of transmitting the communication frame TY3A to the specified conveying path communication slave station 11A. The fourth communication master station 31-4 specifies the conveying path communication slave station 11B, and performs the third communication of transmitting the communication frame TY3B to the conveying path communication slave station 11B. Similarly, the fourth communication master station 31-4 specifies the conveying path communication slave stations 11C to 11H, and performs the third communication of transmitting the communication frames TY3C to TY3H to the conveying path communication slave stations 11C to 11H. In addition, similarly to the above-mentioned embodiment 1, when the fourth communication master station 31-4 performs the third communication, when it is not necessary to specify each of the conveying path communication slave stations 11A to 11H, the fourth communication master station 31-4 may not specify the conveying path communication slave stations 11A to 11H. The fourth communication master station 31 - 4 transmits a communication frame at intervals of once per communication cycle CTn. Therefore, when the communication cycle CT2 starts, the fourth communication master station 31 - 4 transmits communication frames TY3A to TY3H in the communication cycle CT2 .

[0216] In addition, the fourth communication master station 31-4 uses the receiving channel RC-4 in the communication cycle CT1 to receive the communication frame RY3A from the transmission path communication slave station 11A, send the communication frame RY3B from the transmission path communication slave station 11B, and similarly receive the communication frames RY3C to RY3H from the transmission path communication slave stations 11C to 11H. In other words, the transmission path communication slave station 11A performs the sixth communication of sending the communication frame R2A to the communication master station 31, the transmission path communication slave station 11B performs the sixth communication of sending the communication frame R2B to the communication master station 31, and similarly the transmission path communication slave stations 11C to 11H perform the sixth communication of sending the communication frames R2C to R2H to the communication master station 31. In addition, the fourth communication master station 31-4 receives the communication frame at intervals of once per communication cycle CTn, so when the communication cycle TC2 starts, the communication frames RY3A to RY3H are received in the communication cycle CT2.

[0217] The communication master station 31Y is controlled so as to divide the communication cycle CTn into time slots and transmit and receive each communication frame in a time-division manner.

[0218] like Fig.16As shown in (B), the communication frame TY1A sent by the first communication master station 31-1 to the first communication slave station 32-1A is composed of a header, a tail, and a payload. The communication frame TY1A is a communication frame for sending generated data to the first communication slave station 32-1A. The communication frame TY1A is accompanied by the designation information of the first communication slave station 32-1A (transmission destination address, etc.) as a header, and the first communication slave station 32-1A is designated by the information in the header. The payload part includes the position command value of the mobile body 20A. The tail part is accompanied by frame check sequence data, etc. for confirming that the communication frame has been accurately received at the receiving destination. Communication frames TY1B and TY1C are communication frames for sending generated data to the first communication slave stations 32-1B and 32-1C. The communication frames TY1B and TY1C are provided with the designation information of the first communication slave stations 32-1B and 32-1C as the header, and the first communication slave stations 32-1B and 32-1C are designated by the information of the header. The payload portion includes the position command value of the moving body 20B and 20C. In addition, the tail portion includes the frame check sequence data and the like. Thus, the communication master station 31Y designates the desired communication slave station 32Y as the communication target, and can send the generated data to the designated communication slave station 32Y.

[0219] like Fig.16 As shown in (C), the communication frame TY2A sent by the third communication master station 31-3 to the second communication slave station 32-2A is composed of a header, a tail, and a payload. The communication frame TY2A is a communication frame for specifying the second communication slave station 32-2A and for sending generated data to the second communication slave station 32-2A. The communication frame TY2A is accompanied by the designation information of the second communication slave station 32-2A (transmission destination address, etc.) as a header, and the second communication slave station 32-2A is specified by the information in the header. The communication frame TY2A includes the position information of the mobile body 20A as a payload. The tail is accompanied by frame check sequence data, etc. for confirming that the communication frame has been accurately received at the receiving destination. The communication frames TY2B and TY2C are communication frames for sending generated data to the second communication slave stations 32-2B and 32-2C. The communication frames TY2B and TY2C have the designation information of the second communication slave stations 32-2B and 32-2C as the header, and the position information of the moving bodies 20B and 20C as the payload. In addition, the frame check sequence data and the like are attached to the tail. Thus, the communication master station 31Y designates the desired communication slave station 32Y and can send the generated data to the designated communication slave station 32Y.

[0220] Next, if Fig.16As shown in (D), the communication frame TY3A sent by the 4th communication master station 31-4 to the conveying path communication slave station 11A is composed of a header, a tail and a payload. The communication frame TY3A is a communication frame for specifying the conveying path communication slave station 11A and for sending control data to the conveying path communication slave station 11A. The communication frame TY32A is accompanied by the specified information of the conveying path communication slave station 11A (transmission target address, etc.) as a header, and the conveying path communication slave station 11A is specified by the information in the header. The payload part includes a current command value for controlling the energization or non-energization of all coils 121A included in the conveying path unit 10A having the conveying path communication slave station 11A. The tail part is accompanied by frame check sequence data, etc. for confirming that the communication frame is accurately received at the receiving destination. The communication frames TY3B to TY3H are communication frames for transmitting current command values ​​to the transmission path communication slave stations 11B to 11H, and the current command values ​​are used to control the energization or non-energization of all coils 121B to all coils 121H included in each transmission path unit 10B to 10H having the transmission path communication slave stations 11B to 11H. The communication frames TY3B to TY3H are accompanied by the designation information of the transmission path communication slave stations 11B to 11H as a header, and each transmission path unit 10B to 10H is designated by the information in the header. The payload part includes the current command values ​​for controlling the energization or non-energization of all coils 121B to all coils 121H included in each transmission path unit 10B to 10H having the transmission path communication slave stations 11B to 11H. In addition, the tail part includes frame check sequence data and the like. Thereby, the communication master station 31Y can designate a desired conveyance path communication slave station 11 and transmit control data to the designated conveyance path communication slave station 11 .

[0221] like Fig.16As shown in (E), the communication frame RY2A received by the third communication master station 31-3 from the second communication slave station 32-2A is composed of a header, a tail, and a payload. The communication frame RY2A is a communication frame for sending generated data from the second communication slave station 32-2A. The communication frame RY2A is attached with the designation information (such as the transmission destination address) of the third communication master station 31-3 as a header, and includes the drive command value of the moving body 20A as a payload. The tail is attached with frame check sequence data for confirming that the communication frame is accurately received at the receiving destination. The communication frames RY2B and RY2C are communication frames for sending generated data from the second communication slave stations 32-2B and 32-2C, and are attached with the designation information of the third communication master station 31-3 as a header, and include the drive command value of the moving body 20B and 20C as a payload. In addition, the tail is attached with frame check sequence data. Thus, each of the communication slave stations 32Y can transmit the generated data to the communication master station 31Y, and the communication master station 31Y can receive the generated data from the plurality of communication slave stations 32Y.

[0222] Next, if Fig.16 As shown in (F), the communication frame RY3A received by the fourth communication master station 31-4 from the conveying path communication slave station 11A is composed of a header, a tail, and a payload. The communication frame RY3A is a communication frame for transmitting control data from the conveying path communication slave station 11A, and includes the designated information (such as the transmission destination address) of the fourth communication master station 31-4 as a header, and includes the scale detection information indicating the relative position of the moving body 20A relative to all the position sensors 131A output by the position calculator 14A included in the conveying path unit 10A having the conveying path communication slave station 11A as a payload. The tail includes frame check sequence data for confirming that the communication frame has been accurately received at the receiving destination. The communication frames RY3B to RY3H are communication frames for transmitting the scale detection information output by the position calculators 14B to 14H included in the conveying path units 10B to 10H having the conveying path communication slave stations 11B to 11H from the conveying path communication slave stations 11B to 11H, and are accompanied by the designated information of the fourth communication master station 31-4 as the header, and include the scale detection information calculated by the position calculator 14B to the scale detection information calculated by the position calculator 14H as the payload. Moreover, the frame check sequence data and the like are attached to the tail. Thus, each conveying path communication slave station 11 can send control data to the communication master station 31Y, and the communication master station 31Y can receive control data from multiple conveying path communication slave stations 11.

[0223] The communication master station 31Y of the conveying system 1Y disclosed in the present embodiment 4 is composed of the first communication master station 31-1, the third communication master station 31-3 and the fourth communication master station 31-4, and the communication slave station 32Y is composed of the first communication slave station 32-1 and the second communication slave station 32-2. Moreover, the communication master station 31Y performs communication control in the above-mentioned manner. As a result, the first communication slave station 32-1 and the first communication master station 31-1 become single-master communication control, the second communication slave station 32-2 and the third communication master station become single-master communication control, and the conveying path communication slave station 11 and the fourth communication master station 31-4 become single-master communication control. The conveying system 1Y disclosed in the present embodiment 4 can form the communication of the generated data and the control data by the single-master communication control, so that the complexity of the communication control can be reduced. In addition, since the transport system 1Y is a single-master communication control, for example, the communication control between the first communication master station 31-1 and the first communication slave station 32-1, the communication control between the third communication master station and the second communication slave station 32-2, and the communication control between the fourth communication master station 31-4 and the transport path communication slave station 11 can be independently configured, and each communication cycle can be easily changed. Therefore, the transport system 1Y can suppress the situation where the control performance of the moving body 20 is reduced due to the influence of the processing with a long operation time in the operation processing in the control controller 30Y or the transport path unit 10.

[0224] In addition, Fig.16 In (A), the first communication master station 31-1 that implements the first communication for transmitting the position command value of the mobile body 20 transmits a communication frame once per communication cycle 2CTn that is twice the length of the communication cycle CTn, and the third communication master station 31-3 that implements the second communication and the fourth communication master station 31-4 that implements the third communication transmit a communication frame once per communication cycle CTn. That is, the communication cycle of the first communication for transmitting the position command value of the mobile body 20 is different from the communication cycles of the second communication and the third communication, and is set longer than the communication cycles of the second communication and the third communication. As a result, the number of transmissions of the position information of the mobile body 20, the drive command value of the mobile body 20, and the current command value of the conveying path unit 10 increases with respect to the position command value of the mobile body 20, and the movement control of the mobile body 20 can be performed with higher accuracy.

[0225] exist Fig.16 In (A), an example is shown in which the first communication master station 31-1 sends a communication frame once every communication cycle 2CTn, and the third communication master station 31-3 and the fourth communication master station 31-4 send and receive a communication frame once every communication cycle CTn, but the communication control is of course not limited to the above. For example, the communication cycle for sending and receiving the communication frame by the first communication master station 31-1, the third communication master station 31-3, and the fourth communication master station 31-4 can all use the same communication cycle, or different communication cycles can be used for all channels.

[0226] Fig.17 1 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware structure of the control controller involved in the present embodiment 4. The hardware of the control controller 30Y is divided into a position command controller 301X, a drive controller 302Y and a track controller 303Y. The position command controller 301X includes a fifth communication interface (fifth communication I / F) 3001-1 that functions as the first communication master station 31-1, a fifth processor 3005-1 that functions as the position command generator 33, and a memory 3009-1 that reads and writes various data used in various operations in the fifth processor 3005-1.

[0227] The drive controller 302YA includes a seventh communication interface (seventh communication I / F) 3002-1 functioning as a first communication slave station 32-1A, an eighth communication interface (eighth communication I / F) 3002-2 functioning as a second communication slave station 32-2A, a second processor 3006 functioning as a position controller 35A, and a memory 3009A for reading and writing various data used for various operations in the second processor 3006. The drive controller 302YB includes a ninth communication interface (ninth communication I / F) 3003-1 functioning as a first communication slave station 32-1B, a tenth communication interface (tenth communication I / F) 3003-2 functioning as a second communication slave station 32-2B, a third processor 3007 functioning as a position controller 35B, and a memory 3009B for reading and writing various data used for various operations in the third processor 3007. The drive controller 302YC includes an 11th communication interface (11th communication I / F) 3004-1 that functions as a 1st communication slave station 32-1C, a 12th communication interface (12th communication I / F) 3004-2 that functions as a 2nd communication slave station 32-2C, a 4th processor 3008 that functions as a position controller 35C, and a memory 3009C that reads and writes various data used for various operations in the 4th processor 3008.

[0228] The track controller 303Y includes a 13th communication interface (13th communication I / F) 3001-3 that functions as a 3rd communication master station 31-3, a 14th communication interface (14th communication I / F) 3001-4 that functions as a 4th communication master station 31-4, a 6th processor 3005-2 that functions as a position generator 34 and a current instruction generator 36, and a memory 3009-2 that reads and writes various data used for various operations in the 6th processor 3005-2.

[0229] The second processor 3006 to the fourth processor 3008 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus their description is omitted. 3009A to 3009C are the same as those in the second embodiment, and thus their description is omitted. The fifth processor 3005-1 is the same as those in the third embodiment, and thus their description is omitted. The memories 3009-1 and 3009-2 are the same as those in the third embodiment, and thus their description is omitted.

[0230] In addition, Fig.17 In the figure, the hardware structure of the track controller 303Y is illustrated as an example, and the processor that functions as the position generator 34 and the current command generator 36 is illustrated as the sixth processor 3005-2, but it is also possible to have a structure with multiple processors, such as the processor that functions as the position generator 34 and the processor that functions as the current command generator 36.

[0231] Fig.18 This is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the control controller according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. Fig.18 The operation of the control controller 30Y will be described.

[0232] exist Fig.18 In step S1801 shown, the position command generator 33 of the position command controller 301X configured by the control controller 30Y generates position command values ​​for each of the three moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C of the conveying system 1Y. Furthermore, the position command generator 33 outputs the generated position command values ​​for each of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C to the first communication master station 31-1 of the position command controller 301X.

[0233] In step S1802, the position generator 34 of the track controller 303Y formed by the control controller 30Y generates position information of each of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C indicating the position of each of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C on the conveying path based on the scale detection information included in the control data received from the conveying path units 10A to 10H using the communication frames RY3A to RY3H. Furthermore, the position generator 34 outputs the generated position information of each of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C to the third communication master station 31-3 of the track controller 303Y.

[0234] In step S1803, the first communication master station 31-1 implements the first communication of sending the acquired position command values ​​of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C to the first communication slave station 32-1. The third communication master station 31-3 implements the first communication of sending the acquired position information of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C to the second communication slave station 32-2. Specifically, the first communication master station 31-1 sends the position command value of the moving body 20A to the first communication slave station 32-1A using the communication frame TY1A, sends the position command value of the moving body 20B to the communication slave station 32B using the communication frame TY1B, and sends the position command value of the moving body 20C to the communication slave station 32C using the communication frame TY1C. On the other hand, the third communication master station 31-3 transmits the position information of the moving body 20A to the second communication slave station 32-2A using the communication frame TY2A, transmits the position information of the moving body 20B to the second communication slave station 32-2B using the communication frame TY2B, and transmits the position information of the moving body 20C to the second communication slave station 32-2C using the communication frame TY2C. In addition, the communication cycle of the first communication implemented by the first communication master station 31-1 may be different from the communication cycle of the second communication and the communication cycle of the third communication.

[0235] In step S1804, the position controllers 35A, 35B, 35C of the drive controllers 302YA, 302YB, 302YC generate the drive command values ​​of the respective moving bodies 20A, 20B, 20C based on the position command values ​​of the respective moving bodies 20A, 20B, 20C received by the first communication slave stations 32-1A, 32-1B, 32-1C and the position information received by the second communication slave stations 32-2A, 32-2B, 32-2C. Furthermore, the position controllers 35A, 35B, 35C output the generated drive command values ​​of the respective moving bodies 20A, 20B, 20C to the second communication slave stations 32-2A, 32-2B, 32-2C. Specifically, the position controller 35A obtains the position command value of the mobile body 20A from the first communication slave station 32-1A connected via the internal bus, and obtains the position information of the mobile body 20A from the second communication slave station 32-2A connected via the internal bus. The position controller 35A generates the drive command value of the mobile body 20A based on the position command value and the position information of the mobile body 20A, and outputs the generated drive command value of the mobile body 20A to the second communication slave station 32-2A. Similarly, the position controllers 35B and 35C respectively generate the drive command value of the mobile body 20B and the drive command value of the mobile body 20C, and output them to the second communication slave stations 32-2B and 32-2C connected via the internal bus.

[0236] In step S1805, the second communication slave stations 32-2A, 32-2B, and 32-2C of the drive controllers 302YA, 302YB, and 302YC implement the second communication of sending the acquired drive command values ​​of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C to the third communication master station 31-3. Specifically, the communication slave station 32A uses the communication frame RY2A composed of the header, the footer, and the payload to send the drive command value of the moving body 20 to the third communication master station 31-3. In addition, the second communication slave stations 32-2B and 32-2C similarly use the communication frames RY2B and RY2C to send the drive command value of the moving body 20B and the drive command value of the moving body 20C to the third communication master station 31-3.

[0237] In step S1806, the current command generator 36 of the track controller 303Y generates the current command value of the conveying path unit 10A to 10H based on the position information of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C generated by the position generator 34 and the drive command values ​​of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C received by the third communication master station 31-3. In addition, the position information of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C can be read and obtained from the memory possessed by the track controller 303Y. The current command generator 36 obtains the drive command value of the moving body 20A, the drive command value of the moving body 20B, and the drive command value of the moving body 20C from the third communication master station 31-3 connected via the internal bus. Moreover, the current command generator 36 obtains the position information of the moving body 20A, the position information of the moving body 20B, and the position information of the moving body 20C from the memory of the track controller 303Y. The current command generator 36 generates current command values ​​for the transport path units 10A to 10H based on the drive commands and position information of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C, and outputs the current command values ​​to the fourth communication master station 31 - 4 . The current command generator 36 generates current command values ​​in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and therefore detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0238] In step S1807, the fourth communication master station 31-4 of the track controller 303Y performs the third communication of sending the acquired current command values ​​of each of the conveying path units 10A to 10H to the conveying path communication slave station 11. Specifically, the fourth communication master station 31-4 uses the communication frame TY3A composed of the header, the trailer, and the payload to send the current command value of the conveying path unit 10A to the conveying path communication slave station 11A. Similarly, the fourth communication master station 31-4 uses the communication frames TY3B to TY3H to send the current command values ​​of each of the conveying path units 10B to 10H to the conveying path communication slave stations 11B to 11H.

[0239] The conveyance path unit 10 according to the fourth embodiment is different from the conveyance path unit 10 used in the first embodiment. Figure 8 The operations described in step S801 to step S804 are performed in the same manner to control the movable body 20 in the transport system 1Y. The operation of step S805 of the transport path unit 10 according to the fourth embodiment is different, and therefore will be described below.

[0240] Fig.19 1 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the transport path unit according to Embodiment 4. After the transport path unit 10 according to Embodiment 4 operates in the same manner as Steps S801 to S804, Fig.19 Step S1905 shown. In step S1905, the conveying path communication slave station 11 of each conveying path unit 10 implements the 6th communication of sending the acquired scale detection information toward the 4th communication master station 31-4. Specifically, the conveying path communication slave station 11A uses the communication frame RY3A composed of a header, a tail, and a payload portion to send the scale detection information calculated by the position operator 14A of the conveying path unit 10A toward the 4th communication master station 31-4 included in the control controller 30Y. Similarly, the conveying path communication slave stations 11B to 11H of the conveying path units 10B to 10H use the communication frames RY3B to RY3H to send the scale detection information calculated by the position operator 14B to 14H of the conveying path units 10B to 10H in sequence toward the 4th communication master station 31-4 included in the control controller 30Y.

[0241] As described above, the control controller 30Y according to the fourth embodiment is configured to function in the same manner as the communication master station 31 through the first communication master station 31-1, the third communication master station 31-3, and the fourth communication master station 31-4, thereby functioning in the same manner as the control controllers 30, 30W, and 30X. Therefore, as in the first to third embodiments, even when the moving body 20 moving in the conveying system 1Y is located at the boundary between the conveying path units 10, the movement of the moving body 20 can be controlled with high precision, and the cost increase of the electrical circuit such as the inverter circuit 122 included in one driving element can be suppressed. In addition, the conveying system 1Y according to the fourth embodiment does not need to have the position controller 35 in each conveying path unit 10, and the maximum number of the drive controllers 302Y having the position controller 35 can be set to be less than or equal to the number of the moving bodies 20, so that the control system of the control controller 30Y and the conveying path unit 10 can be suppressed from being enlarged and costly. In addition, in the conveying system 1Y, the movable body 20 is always assigned a predetermined position controller 35, so during the operation of the conveying system 1Y, there is no need to perform such a process as assigning the control of the movable body 20. Therefore, in the conveying system 1Y involved in the fourth embodiment, the control system does not become large-scale and costly, and the control stop of the movable body 20 of the conveying system 1Y can be suppressed.

[0242] Furthermore, the conveying system 1Y involved in the present embodiment 4 is constituted by a control controller 30Y through a position command controller 301X, a drive controller 302Y, and a track controller 303Y. Furthermore, the position command controller 301X is configured to generate a position command value of a movable body 20 moving along the conveying path of the conveying system 1Y. The drive controller 302Y is configured to generate a drive command value of the allocated movable body 20. The track controller 303Y is configured to generate position information of the movable body 20 moving along the conveying path of the conveying system 1Y, and current command values ​​of all conveying path units 10 constituting the conveying path of the conveying system 1Y. As described above, the control controller 30Y is separately constituted by three controllers, namely, the position command controller 301X, the drive controller 302Y, and the track controller 303Y, thereby reducing the control load of one controller and suppressing the control delay of the control controller 30Y.

[0243] On this basis, the control controller 30Y connects the position command controller 301X and the drive controller 302Y through the third communication line 80, and connects the track controller 303Y and the drive controller 302 through the fourth communication line 100. As described above, the control controller 30Y can expand the communication band by separating the communication lines for sending and receiving the generated data, and can shorten the communication cycle between the position command controller 301X and the drive controller 302Y, and the communication cycle between the track controller 303Y and the drive controller 302Y. Therefore, the control controller 30Y can suppress control delay and improve the control performance of the moving body 20.

[0244] In addition, the control controller 30Y connects the drive controller 302Y and the position command controller 301X via the third communication line 80, and the drive controllers 302Y are connected to each other via the first drive controller communication line 91 and the second drive controller communication line 92, so that the number of drive controllers 302Y can be easily changed as in the above-mentioned embodiments 2 and 3. Therefore, even if the number of moving bodies 20 moving in the conveying path of the conveying system 1Y is changed, the control system structure of the conveying system 1Y can be easily changed by changing the number of drive controllers 302Y. That is, the conveying system 1Y involved in this embodiment 4 can provide a conveying system that can be easily expanded and changed.

[0245] As described above, in the transport system 1Y according to the fourth embodiment, the first communication slave station 32-1 and the first communication master station 31-1 are controlled by a single master, the second communication slave station 32-2 and the third communication master station are controlled by a single master, and the transport path communication slave station 11 and the fourth communication master station 31-4 are controlled by a single master. The transport system 1Y according to the fourth embodiment can form the communication of the generated data and the control data by the single master communication control, so that the complexity of the communication control can be reduced as described above, and each communication cycle can be easily changed, and the control performance of the moving body 20 can be suppressed from being reduced due to the long operation time in the operation processing in the control controller 30Y or the transport path unit 10.

[0246] Implementation method 5.

[0247] A conveying system according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The same reference numerals are used to indicate the same configuration as in the first to fourth embodiments, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted. Configurations different from those in the first to fourth embodiments will be described in detail below.

[0248] Fig. 201 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the structure of a conveying system according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention. Fig. 20 As shown, the transport system 1Z has a plurality of transport path units 10A to 10H constituting the transport path of the plurality of moving bodies 20A to 20C and a power supply unit 40 for supplying power to the transport path units 10A to 10H, similarly to the first embodiment. In addition, in the transport system 1Z involved in the fifth embodiment, a control controller 30Z for controlling the operation of the plurality of moving bodies 20A to 20C is provided instead of the control controllers 30, 30W, 30X, and 30Y. The control controller 30Z is different from the control controller 30 and is composed of a position command controller 301Z and a drive controller 302Z. That is, the position command controller 301Z and the drive controller 302Z are respectively configured as different frames, and these controllers operate to function as the control controller 30Z.

[0249] like Fig. 20 As shown, the position command controller 301Z has a communication main station 31, a position command generator 33, and a position generator 34. The position command generator 33 and the position generator 34 are connected to the communication main station 31 via an internal bus in the position command controller 301Z. The communication main station 31, the position command generator 33, and the position generator 34 have the same functions as those in the above-mentioned embodiment 1. The position command generator 33 generates a position command value for the mobile body 20, and the position generator 34 generates position information of the mobile body 20. In addition, the position command value for the mobile body 20 and the position information of the mobile body 20 are each an example of generated data.

[0250] The drive controller 302Z includes a communication slave station 32, a position controller 35, and a current command generator 36Z. The position controller 35 and the current command generator 36Z are connected to the communication slave station 32 via an internal bus in the drive controller 302Z. The communication slave station 32 and the position controller 35 have the same functions as those in the first embodiment, and the position controller 35 generates a drive command value for the moving body 20. The current command generator 36Z is different from the current command generator 36 described in the first embodiment, and is configured as a current command value for the conveying path unit 10 where the moving body 20 is located. In addition, the drive command value for the moving body 20 is an example of generated data, and the current command value for the conveying path unit 10 is an example of control data.

[0251] Here, the current command generator 36Z is described in terms of differences from the above-mentioned current command generator 36. The current command generator 36Z is configured as a calculation circuit that generates a current command value for the transport path unit 10 where the transport body 20 of the transport system 1Z is located based on the drive command value of the transport body 20 and the position information of the transport body 20. Specifically, when the transport bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C are located Fig. 20 In the case of the position shown, the current command generator 36Z generates current command values ​​for all coils 121A included in the transport path unit 10A, generates current command values ​​for all coils 121C and 121D included in the transport path units 10C and 10D, and generates current command values ​​for all coils 121E and 121F included in the transport path units 10E and 10F. In addition, the object for which the current command generator 36Z generates the current command value is different from that of the current command generator 36, but the calculation formula for generating the current command value can use the calculation formula described in the first embodiment, so the description of the calculation of the current command value is omitted.

[0252] The drive controller 302Z is ​​a controller that generates a drive command value for the moving body 20 based on the position command value of the moving body 20 and the position information of the moving body 20, and generates a current command value for the conveying path unit 10 where the moving body 20 is located in the conveying path of the conveying system 1Z based on the drive command value of the moving body 20 and the position information of the moving body 20. In the present embodiment 4, the drive controller 302Z is ​​as follows: Fig. 20 As shown, there are three drive controllers 302ZA, 302ZB, and 302ZC.

[0253] The drive controller 302ZA includes a communication slave station 32A, a position controller 35A, and a current command generator 36ZA. The drive controller 302ZB includes a communication slave station 32B, a position controller 35B, and a current command generator 36ZB. The drive controller 302ZC includes a communication slave station 32C, a position controller 35C, and a current command generator 36ZC. When there is no need to distinguish and explain each of these drive controllers 302ZA, 302ZB, 302ZC, communication slave stations 32A, 32B, 32C, position controllers 35A, 35B, 35C, and current command generators 36ZA, 36ZB, 36ZC, they are sometimes referred to as the drive controller 302Z, the communication slave station 32, the position controller 35, and the current command generator 36Z. The position controller 35 of the drive controller 302Z is ​​configured to be assigned to the moving body 20 of the conveying system 1Z and to generate a drive command value for the assigned moving body 20. The current command generator 36Z is configured to generate a current command value based on a drive command value generated by the position controller 35 included in the drive controller 302Z having the current command generator 36Z and position information of the moving body 20 to which the position controller 35 is allocated.

[0254] This fifth embodiment illustrates a method in which three moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C are provided in a transport system 1Z, and one position controller 35 is assigned to one moving body 20. Specifically, the position controller 35A generates a drive command value for the moving body 20A, the position controller 35B generates a drive command value for the moving body 20B, and the position controller 35C generates a drive command value for the moving body 20C. Furthermore, the current command generator 36ZA generates a current command value for the transport path unit 10 where the moving body 20A in the transport system 1Z is located based on the drive command value for the moving body 20A and the position information of the moving body 20A. The current command generator 36ZB generates a current command value for the transport path unit 10 where the moving body 20B in the transport system 1Z is located based on the drive command value for the moving body 20B and the position information of the moving body 20B. The current command generator 36ZC generates a current command value for the transport path unit 10 where the movable body 20C in the transport system 1Z is located based on the drive command value of the movable body 20C and the position information of the movable body 20C. Then, the current command generator 36ZA outputs the generated current command value to the communication slave station 32A, the current command generator 36ZB outputs the generated current command value to the communication slave station 32B, and the current command generator 36ZC outputs the generated current command value to the communication slave station 32C.

[0255] That is, the drive controller 302Z is ​​a controller that generates a drive command value for the mobile body 20 assigned to the position controller 35 it has, and based on the drive command value generated by the position controller 35 and the position information of the mobile body 20 assigned to the position controller 35, generates a current command value for the conveying path unit 10 where the mobile body 20 in the conveying system 1Z is located.

[0256] In addition, the number of the moving bodies 20 assigned to the position controller 35 of the drive controller 302Z can be arbitrarily determined and can be set before the transport system 1Z is operated. Fig. 20 As shown, when the transport system 1Z includes three moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C, for example, all of the three moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C may be assigned to one position controller 35. In this case, the control controller 30Z may include one drive controller 302Z. In addition, for example, when the conveying system 1Z has 9 moving bodies, the control controller 30Z may have 9 drive controllers 302Z, and one moving body is assigned to the position controller 35 of one drive controller 302Z, thereby assigning 9 moving bodies to the position controllers 35 of the 9 drive controllers 302Z; it may have 3 drive controllers 302Z, and three moving bodies are assigned to the position controller 35 of one drive controller 302Z, thereby assigning 9 moving bodies to the position controllers 35 of the three drive controllers 302Z; or it may have 1 drive controller 302Z, and 9 moving bodies are assigned to the position controller 35 of one drive controller 302Z, thereby assigning 9 moving bodies to the position controller 35 of one drive controller 302Z. That is, the drive controllers 302Z can be configured to have the same number as the number of moving bodies 20 of the conveying system 1Z as the entire conveying system 1Z at most.

[0257] In addition, the number of communication slave stations 32 and position controllers 35 possessed by one drive controller 302Z can be configured arbitrarily and can be determined when designing the hardware of the drive controller 302Z. For example, it can be configured so that one drive controller 302Z has one communication slave station 32 and multiple position controllers 35, and one communication slave station 32 and multiple position controllers 35 are connected via an internal bus. In addition, it can also be configured so that one drive controller 302Z has multiple communication slave stations 32 and multiple position controllers 35, and the communication slave stations 32 and the position controllers 35 are connected via an internal bus, and the communication slave stations 32 are connected to each other via the internal bus. Even if it is configured as described above, the drive controller 302Z as the entire conveying system 1Z can be configured to have a maximum number that is the same as the number of moving bodies 20 possessed by the conveying system 1Z.

[0258] Here, the connection of the communication master station 31 of the position command controller 301Z in the control controller 30Z involved in the present embodiment 5, the communication slave station 32 of the drive controller 302Z, and the conveying path communication slave station 11 of the conveying path unit 10 is described. In the conveying system 1Z of the present embodiment 5, the position command controller 301Z and the drive controller 302Z constituting the control controller 30Z are connected via the third communication line 80. In addition, the drive controllers 302Z are connected to each other via the drive controller communication line 90. The control controller 30Z and the conveying path unit 10 are connected via the first communication line 50.

[0259] Specifically, if Fig. 20 As shown, the communication master station 31 of the position command controller 301Z is connected to the communication slave station 32A of the drive controller 302ZA via the third communication line 80. The communication slave station 32A of the drive controller 302ZA is connected to the communication slave station 32B of the drive controller 302ZB via the drive controller communication line 90. Moreover, the communication slave station 32B of the drive controller 302ZB is connected to the communication slave station 32C of the drive controller 302ZC via the drive controller communication line 90. Thus, the position command controller 301Z and the drive controller 302Z can communicate with each other to form the control controller 30Z. Moreover, the communication master station 31 of the position command controller 301Z and the communication slave stations 32A, 32B, and 32C of the drive controllers 302ZA, 302ZB, and 302ZC are connected by a daisy chain connection, and the generation data and control data including various command values ​​and information for generating control data can be sent and received between the communication master station 31 and the communication slave stations 32. By adopting the daisy chain connection as described above, the transmission and reception of the generated data between the communication master station 31 and the communication slave station 32 can adopt serial communication, and the increase of the communication line can be suppressed. In addition, the communication slave station 32C of the drive controller 302ZC is connected to the conveying path communication slave station 11A of the conveying path unit 10A via the first communication line 50. Thus, the control controller 30Z and the conveying path unit 10 constitute a communication network that can communicate with each other.

[0260] Moreover, if Fig. 20As shown, in the structure in which the communication master station 31 and the communication slave station 32 are connected by a daisy chain, when the communication master station 31 transmits and receives the generated data and the control data with the communication slave station 32A, the transmission and reception are performed via the third communication line 80 connecting the communication master station 31 and the communication slave station 32A. When the communication master station 31 transmits and receives the generated data and the control data with the communication slave station 32B, the transmission and reception are performed via the third communication line 80 connecting the communication master station 31 and the communication slave station 32A, the communication slave station 32A, and the drive controller communication line 90 connecting the communication slave station 32A and the communication slave station 32B. In other words, the communication slave station 32B transmits and receives with the communication master station 31 via the communication slave station 32A. When the communication master station 31 transmits and receives the generated data and the control data with the communication slave station 32C, the communication master station 31 transmits and receives the generated data and the control data via the third communication line 80 connecting the communication master station 31 and the communication slave station 32A, the communication slave station 32A, the drive controller communication line 90 connecting the communication slave station 32A and the communication slave station 32B, and the communication slave station 32B, the drive controller communication line 90 connecting the communication slave station 32B and the communication slave station 32C. In other words, the communication slave station 32C transmits and receives the generated data with the communication master station 31 via the communication slave station 32A and the communication slave station 32B. In the above-mentioned structure, it can be said that the communication master station 31 transmits and receives the generated data with the communication slave stations 32A, 32B, and 32C. In addition, the communication master station 31 is configured to have two channels, namely, a transmission channel and a reception channel.

[0261] In addition, if Fig. 20 As shown, the communication slave station 32C is connected to the communication slave station 32B, and is connected to the first communication line 50 connected to the conveying path unit 10. Specifically, the communication slave station 32C of the drive controller 302ZC and the conveying path communication slave station 11 of the conveying path unit 10 are connected via the first communication line 50, thereby forming a communication network for transmitting and receiving control data between the control controller 30Z and the conveying path unit 10. That is, the communication slave station 32 and the conveying path communication slave station 11 are connected by daisy chain connection, and control data can be transmitted and received between the communication master station 31 and the conveying path communication slave station 11 via the communication slave station 32.

[0262] In addition, the control controller 30Z does not necessarily need to connect the communication slave station 32C of the drive controller 302ZC to the first communication line 50, as long as it can form a communication network for transmitting and receiving control data between the control controller 30Z and the conveying path unit 10. For example, the control controller 30Z can connect the communication master station 31 of the position instruction controller 301Z and the conveying path communication slave station 11 of the conveying path unit 10 via the first communication line 50, thereby forming a communication network for transmitting and receiving control data between the control controller 30Z and the conveying path unit 10.

[0263] On this basis, if Fig. 20 As shown, in the structure in which the communication master station 31 and the communication slave station 32 are daisy-chain connected, when the communication master station 31 transmits and receives control data with the conveying path communication slave station 11 of the conveying path unit 10, the communication master station 31 transmits and receives via the third communication line 80 connecting the communication master station 31 and the communication slave station 32A, the communication slave station 32A, the drive controller communication line 90 connecting the communication slave station 32A and the communication slave station 32B, the communication slave station 32B, the drive controller communication line 90 connecting the communication slave station 32B and the communication slave station 32C, the communication slave station 32C, and the first communication line 50. In other words, the communication master station 31 transmits and receives with the conveying path communication slave station 11 of the conveying path unit 10 via the first communication line 50. In the structure as described above, it can be said that the control controller 30Z also transmits and receives control data with the conveying path communication slave station 11 of the conveying path unit 10. By adopting the daisy chain connection as described above, the transmission and reception of control data between the communication master station 31 and the transmission path communication slave station 11 can adopt serial communication, and the increase of communication lines can be suppressed.

[0264] The communication master station 31 of the position command controller 301Z involved in this embodiment 5 is configured to send generated data to the communication slave station 32 in the same manner as in the above-mentioned embodiment 1. In addition, the communication master station 31 of the position command controller 301Z is configured to send control data to the conveying path communication slave station 11. Furthermore, the communication master station 31 of the position command controller 301Z is configured to receive control data from multiple communication slave stations 32. Furthermore, the communication master station 31 of the position command controller 301Z is configured to receive control data from multiple conveying path communication slave stations 11. On this basis, the communication control in the communication master station 31 of the position command controller 301Z is performed in the same manner as in the above-mentioned embodiment 1, using the transmission channel, the reception channel and the communication frame. That is, the control controller 30Z involved in embodiment 5 functions in the same manner as the above-mentioned control controller 30.

[0265] Fig.2130Z is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the control controller involved in the present embodiment 5. The hardware of the control controller 30Z is divided into a position command controller 301Z and a drive controller 302Z. The position command controller 301Z includes a first communication interface (first communication I / F) 3001 that functions as a communication master 31, a seventh processor 3005-3 that functions as a position command generator 33 and a position generator 34, and a memory 3009-3 that reads and writes various data used in various operations in the seventh processor 3005-3. The drive controller 302ZA includes a second communication interface (second communication I / F) 3002 that functions as a communication slave 32A, an eighth processor 3006-1 that functions as a position controller 35A and a current command generator 36ZA, and a memory 3009-4A that reads and writes various data used in various operations in the eighth processor 3006-1. The drive controller 302ZB includes a third communication interface (third communication I / F) 3003 functioning as a communication slave station 32B, a ninth processor 3007-1 functioning as a position controller 35B and a current command generator 36ZB, and a memory 3009-4B for reading and writing various data used in various operations in the ninth processor 3007-1. The drive controller 302ZC includes a fourth communication interface (fourth communication I / F) 3004 functioning as a communication slave station 32C, a tenth processor 3008-1 functioning as a position controller 35C and a current command generator 36ZC, and a memory 3009-4C for reading and writing various data used in various operations in the tenth processor 3008-1.

[0266] The seventh processor 3005-3 is a processor capable of calculating the position command value as the position command generator 33 and calculating the position information as the position generator 34, and can be, for example, a microprocessor, a single chip microcomputer, a microcomputer, a CPU or a DSP. The eighth processor 3006-1 to the tenth processor 3008-1 are processors capable of calculating the drive command value as the position controller 35 and calculating the current command value as the current command generator 36, and can be, for example, a microprocessor, a single chip microcomputer, a microcomputer, a CPU or a DSP.

[0267] The memory 3009-3 includes a nonvolatile memory for storing the operation programs and the like executed by the seventh processor 3005-3 and a volatile memory that serves as a working memory during each operation in the seventh processor 3005-3. The memory 3009-4A includes a nonvolatile memory for storing the operation programs and the like executed by the eighth processor 3006-1 and a volatile memory that serves as a working memory during each operation in the eighth processor 3006-1. The memory 3009-4B includes a nonvolatile memory for storing the operation programs and the like executed by the ninth processor 3007-1 and a volatile memory that serves as a working memory during each operation in the ninth processor 3007-1. The memory 3009-4C includes a nonvolatile memory for storing the operation programs and the like executed by the tenth processor 3008-1 and a volatile memory that serves as a working memory during each operation in the tenth processor 3008-1.

[0268] In addition, Fig.21 In the hardware structure of the position command controller 301Z, the processor that functions as the position command generator 33 and the position generator 34 is illustrated as the seventh processor 3005-3 as an example, but it is also possible to have a structure with multiple processors, such as the processor that functions as the position command generator 33 and the processor that functions as the position generator 34. In addition, the hardware structure of the drive controller 302Z is ​​illustrated as an example, and the processor that functions as the position controller 35 and the current command generator 36 is illustrated as one processor (for example, the eighth processor 3006-1), but it is also possible to have a structure with multiple processors, such as the processor that functions as the position controller 35 and the processor that functions as the current command generator 36.

[0269] Fig. 22 This is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the control controller according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention. Fig. 22 The operation of the control controller 30Z will be described.

[0270] exist Fig. 22 In step S2201 shown, the position command generator 33 of the position command controller 301Z formed by the control controller 30Z generates position command values ​​for each of the three moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C of the conveying system 1Z. Furthermore, the position command generator 33 outputs the generated position command values ​​for each of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C to the communication master station 31 of the position command controller 301Z.

[0271] In step S2202, the position generator 34 of the position instruction controller 301Z uses Figure 5The communication frames R2A to R2H shown generate position information of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C, which indicates the positions of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C on the conveying path, from the scale detection information included in the control data received from the conveying path units 10A to 10H. Furthermore, the position generator 34 outputs the generated position information of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C to the communication master station 31 of the position instruction controller 301Z.

[0272] In step S2203, the communication master station 31 of the position command controller 301Z performs the first communication of transmitting the acquired position command values ​​and position information of each of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C to the communication slave station 32. Specifically, the communication master station 31 uses Figure 5 The communication frame T1A shown sends the position command value and position information of the moving body 20A toward the communication slave station 32A, sends the position command value and position information of the moving body 20B toward the communication slave station 32B using the communication frame T1B, and sends the position command value and position information of the moving body 20C toward the communication slave station 32C using the communication frame T1C.

[0273] In step S2204, the position controllers 35A, 35B, and 35C of the drive controllers 302ZA, 302ZB, and 302ZC generate the drive command values ​​of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C, respectively, based on the position command values ​​and position information of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C, respectively, received from the communication slave stations 32A, 32B, and 32C. Specifically, the position controller 35A obtains the position command value and position information of the moving body 20A from the communication slave station 32A connected via the internal bus, and generates the drive command value of the moving body 20A based on the position command value and position information of the moving body 20A. Similarly, the position controllers 35B and 35C generate the drive command value of the moving body 20B and the drive command value of the moving body 20C, respectively.

[0274] In step S2205, the current command generators 36ZA, 36ZB, 36ZC of the drive controllers 302ZA, 302ZB, 302ZC generate current command values ​​for the transport path units 10A, 10C, 10D, 10E, 10F where the moving bodies 20A, 20B, 20C are located, based on the position information of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, 20C received from the communication slave stations 32A, 32B, 32C and the drive command values ​​of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, 20C generated by the position controllers 35A, 35B, 35C. In addition, the position information of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, 20C and the drive command values ​​of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, 20C can be read and acquired from the memory possessed by the drive controllers 302ZA, 302ZB, 302ZC.

[0275] Specifically, the current command generator 36ZA obtains the position information of the moving body 20A and the drive command value of the moving body 20A from the memory of the drive controller 302ZA, and generates the current command values ​​for all the coils 121A included in the conveying path unit 10A where the moving body 20A is located based on the position information of the moving body 20A and the drive command value. Similarly, the current command generator 36ZB generates the current command values ​​of the conveying path units 10C and 10D where the moving body 20B is located based on the position information of the moving body 20B and the drive command value, and the current command generator 36ZC generates the current command values ​​of the conveying path units 10E and 10F where the moving body 20C is located based on the position information of the moving body 20C and the drive command value. Furthermore, the current command generators 36ZA, 36ZB, and 36ZC output the generated current command values ​​of the conveying path unit 10 to the communication slave stations 32A, 32B, and 32C to which they are connected via the internal bus.

[0276] In step S2206, the communication slave stations 32A, 32B, and 32C of the drive controllers 302ZA, 302ZB, and 302ZC perform the fourth communication of sending the acquired current command values ​​of the conveying path units 10A, 10C, 10D, 10E, and 10F to the communication master station 31. Specifically, the communication slave station 32A uses Figure 5 The communication frame R1A shown as being composed of a header, a footer, and a payload portion includes the current command value of the transmission path unit 10A in the payload portion and is transmitted to the communication master station 31. Similarly, the communication slave station 32B uses the communication frame R1B to include the current command values ​​of the transmission path units 10C and 10D in the payload portion and transmits it to the communication master station 31, and the communication slave station 32C uses the communication frame R1C to include the current command values ​​of the transmission path units 10C and 10D in the payload portion and transmits it to the communication master station 31.

[0277] In step S2207, the communication master station 31 of the position command controller 301Z performs the third communication of sending the acquired current command values ​​of the conveying path units 10A, 10C, 10D, 10E, and 10F to the conveying path communication slave station 11. Specifically, the communication master station 31 uses Figure 5 The communication frame T2A shown in the figure transmits the current command value of the conveying path unit 10A to the conveying path communication slave station 11A. Similarly, the communication master station 31 transmits the current command values ​​of the conveying path units 10C, 10D, 10E, 10F to the conveying path communication slave stations 11C, 11D, 11E, 11F using the communication frames T2C, T2D, T2E, T2F.

[0278] The conveyance path unit 10 according to the fifth embodiment is different from the conveyance path unit 10 used in the first embodiment. Figure 8 The operations of step S801 to step S805 described above are performed in the same manner, and the control of the moving body 20 in the transport system 1Z is implemented.

[0279] As described above, the transport system 1Z according to the fifth embodiment can generate the current command value of the transport path unit 10 where the moving body 20 is located by the control controller 30Z, so even when the moving body 20 moving in the transport system 1Z is located at the boundary between the transport path units 10, the movement of the moving body 20 can be controlled with high precision. In addition, even when the moving body 20 moving in the transport system 1Z is located at the boundary between the transport path units 10, the current command value of the two transport path units 10 straddled by the moving body 20 can be generated by the control controller 30Z, so that the cost increase of the electric circuit such as the inverter circuit 122 included in one driving element can be suppressed. On this basis, the transport system 1Z according to the fifth embodiment does not need to have the position controller 35 in each of the transport path units 10, and the maximum number of the drive controllers 302Z having the position controller 35 can be set to be less than or equal to the number of the moving bodies 20, so the control system of the control controller 30Z and the transport path unit 10 can be suppressed from being enlarged and costly. In addition, in the conveying system 1Z, the moving body 20 is always assigned a predetermined position controller 35, so there is no need to perform such a process as assigning the control of the moving body 20 during the operation of the conveying system 1Z. Therefore, in the conveying system 1Z involved in this embodiment 5, the control system does not become large-scale and costly, and the control stop of the moving body 20 of the conveying system 1Z can be suppressed.

[0280] Furthermore, the conveying system 1Z involved in the present embodiment 5 is constituted by a control controller 30Z by a position command controller 301Z and a drive controller 302Z. Furthermore, the drive controller 302Z is ​​configured to generate a drive command value of the assigned moving body 20 and a current command value of the conveying path unit 10 where the moving body 20 is located. As described above, the control controller 30Z is separately constituted by two controllers, namely, the position command controller 301Z and the drive controller 302Z, thereby reducing the control load of one controller and suppressing the control delay of the control controller 30Z. In addition, the control controller 30Z has a current command generator 36Z in the drive controller 302Z, thereby reducing the control load of the position command controller 301Z. On this basis, the control controller 30Z generates the drive command value and the current command value in the drive controller 302Z, thereby reducing the number of communications of the generated data and the control data via the internal bus of the position command controller 301Z and reducing the control load of the control controller 30Z.

[0281] Furthermore, the control controller 30Z is composed of a position command controller 301Z and a drive controller 302Z, and the drive controller 302Z and the position command controller 301Z are connected via a third communication line 80, and the drive controllers 302Z are connected to each other via a drive controller communication line 90, so that the number of drive controllers 302Z can be easily changed. Therefore, even if the number of moving bodies 20 moving in the conveying path of the conveying system 1Z is changed, the control system structure of the conveying system 1Z can be easily changed by changing the number of drive controllers 302Z. That is, the conveying system 1Z can provide a conveying system that can be easily expanded and changed.

[0282] Implementation method 6.

[0283] A conveyance system according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described. Hereinafter, the conveyance system according to the sixth embodiment will be described with respect to differences based on the conveyance system 1 according to the first embodiment. The same components as those in the first embodiment are described using the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0284] Fig.23 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the structure of a conveying system according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention. Fig.23 As shown, the transport system 1V includes: a plurality of transport path units 10-1A to 10-1H, which constitute the transport path of a plurality of moving bodies 20A to 20C; a control controller 30V, which controls the actions of the plurality of moving bodies 20A to 20C; and a power supply unit 40, which supplies power to the transport path units 10-1A to 10-1H.

[0285] like Fig.23 As shown, the control controller 30V includes a communication master station 31, a communication slave station 32, a position command generator 33, a position generator 34, and a position controller 35. The conveying system 1V of the sixth embodiment is different from the first embodiment described above in that the control controller 30V does not include a current command generator 36. Fig.23 As shown in FIG. 1 , each of the transport path units 10 - 1A to 10 - 1H includes a current command generator 36 . The current command generator 36 is Fig.23 Although not shown, it is connected to the transport path communication slave station 11 via the internal bus in the transport path unit 10 - 1 . In addition, other structures and connection states are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus the description of each structure and connection state is omitted.

[0286] The hardware of the transport path unit 10-1 is Figure 3The processor 1002 shown in the figure functions as the current command generator 36 based on the current controller 124 and the position operator 14. Figure 3 The structures shown are the same.

[0287] Fig.24 This is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the control controller according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. Fig.25 FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the transport path unit according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention. Fig.24 and Fig.25 , the control of the moving body 20 in the conveying system 1V is described.

[0288] Fig.24 The implementation and use of the actions of steps S701 to S705 shown Figure 7 The operations are the same as those in the first embodiment described, so the description is omitted.

[0289] In step S2401, the communication master station 31 performs the fifth communication of transmitting the driving command values ​​of the respective moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C transmitted in step S705 and the respective position information of the moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C generated in step S702 to the conveying path communication slave station 11. Specifically, the communication master station 31 transmits the driving command value of the moving body 20A and the position command value of the moving body 20A to the conveying path communication slave station 11A of the conveying path unit 10-1A where the moving body 20A is located indicated by the position information of the moving body 20A, using the communication frame T2A. Similarly, the communication master station 31 transmits the driving command value of the moving body 20B and the position command value of the moving body 20B to the conveying path communication slave stations 11C and 11D of the conveying path units 10-1C and 10-1D where the moving body 20B is located indicated by the position information of the moving body 20B, using the communication frames T2C and T2D. Then, the communication master station 31 transmits the drive command value and the position command value of the movable body 20C to the conveyance path communication slave stations 11E and 11F of the conveyance path units 10 - 1E and 10 - 1F where the movable body 20C is located indicated by the position information of the movable body 20C, using the communication frames T2E and T2F.

[0290] exist Fig.25 In step S2501 shown, the current command generator 36 of the transport path unit 10 - 1 that receives the drive command value of the moving body 20 and the position information of the moving body 20 generates a current command value for the transport path unit 10 - 1 based on the drive command value of the moving body 20 and the position information of the moving body 20 .

[0291] In step S2502, each current controller 124 of the transport path unit 10-1 calculates a control signal for controlling the operation of the inverter circuit 122 based on the current command value generated by the current command generator 36 and the actual current value RA detected by the current sensor 123 of the transport path unit 10-1, and outputs the calculated control signal to the inverter circuit 122. Specifically, the current controller 124A included in each drive element 12A of the transport path unit 10-1A obtains the actual current value RA detected by the current sensor 123A of the drive element 12A including itself through the internal bus, and obtains a command value indicating the magnitude of the current supplied to the coil 121A of the drive element 12A including itself from the current command value. Each current controller 124 calculates a control signal for controlling the operation of the inverter circuit 122 based on the command value indicating the magnitude of the current and the actual current value RA, and outputs a control signal to the inverter circuit 122A of the drive element 12A including itself. In addition, the transport path unit 10 - 1 which receives the drive command value of the moving body 20 and the position information of the moving body 20 in step S2501 and generates the current command value by the current command generator 36 similarly implements step S2502 .

[0292] After step S2502, implement and use Figure 8 Since the moving body 20 is controlled by the same operations as those in the steps S802 to S805 described above, the description thereof will be omitted.

[0293] As described above, the conveying system 1V involved in the sixth embodiment can control the movement of the moving body 20 with high precision even at the boundary between adjacent conveying path units 10-1, as in the first embodiment, and can suppress the cost increase of the electrical circuit included in one driving element 12. In addition, the conveying system 1V, as in the first embodiment, does not increase the size and cost of the control system, and can suppress the control stop of the moving body of the conveying system. In addition, the conveying system 1V does not need to perform the calculation for generating the current command value of all conveying path units 10-1 by the control controller 30V, and the calculation for generating the current command value of each conveying path unit 10-1 is distributedly performed by each conveying path unit 10-1. As a result, the conveying system 1V can suppress the control delay by distributing the control load, and can improve the control performance of the moving body 20.

[0294] Implementation method 7.

[0295] A conveyance system according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described. Hereinafter, the conveyance system according to the seventh embodiment will be described with respect to differences based on the conveyance system 1 according to the first embodiment. The same components as those in the first embodiment are described using the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0296] Fig.26 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the structure of a conveying system according to Embodiment 7 of the present invention. Fig.26 As shown, the transport system 1I, like the first embodiment, comprises: a plurality of transport path units 10A to 10H, which constitute the transport path of a plurality of movable bodies 20A to 20C; a control controller 30I, which controls the movement of the plurality of movable bodies 20A to 20C; and a power supply unit 40, which supplies power to the transport path units 10A to 10H.

[0297] like Fig.26 As shown, the control controller 30I includes a communication master station 31, a communication slave station 32, a position command generator 33, a position generator 34, a position controller 35, and a current command generator 36I. In the conveying system 1I of the seventh embodiment, the current command generator 36I included in the control controller 30I is different from that in the first embodiment.

[0298] The current command generator 36I communicates with the Fig.26 The communication master station 31 is shown connected. The configuration and connection state of the communication master station 31, the communication slave station 32, the position command generator 33, the position generator 34 and the position controller 35 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and therefore the description thereof is omitted.

[0299] Fig. 27 1 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the current command generator of the control controller according to Embodiment 7. The current command generator 36I is similar to Embodiment 1, and includes a data acquisition unit 361I that acquires learning data, a model generation unit 362I that generates a trained model using the learning data, and an inference unit 363I that performs inference using the trained model, in addition to a calculation circuit that generates a current command value of the conveying path unit 10 based on the position information of the moving body 20 generated by the position generator 34 and the drive command value generated by the position controller 35.

[0300] The data acquisition unit 361I acquires a data set as learning data, the data set including the position information of the moving body 20 generated by the position generator 34, the drive command value of the moving body 20 generated by the position controller 35, and the current command value of the conveying path unit 10 generated by the current command generator 36I itself. In addition, the communication master station 31 of the data acquisition unit 361I may also have the function of the data acquisition unit 361I.

[0301] The model generation unit 362I uses a data set including position information of the movable body 20 , a drive command value of the movable body 20 , and a current command value of the transport path unit 10 as learning data, and generates a trained model for estimating the current command value of the transport path unit 10 based on the learning data.

[0302] The learning algorithm used by the model generation unit 362I can use well-known algorithms such as teacher learning, teacher-free learning, and reinforcement learning. As an example, the case where reinforcement learning is applied is described. In reinforcement learning, an agent (acting subject) in a certain environment observes the current state (parameters of the environment) and decides what action to take. The environment changes dynamically due to the actions of the agent, and rewards are given to the agent in accordance with the changes in the environment. The agent repeats this action and learns the action policy that obtains the most rewards through a series of actions. As representative methods of reinforcement learning, Q-learning and TD-learning are known. For example, in the case of Q-learning, the general update formula of the action value function Q(s, a) is expressed by Formula 1.

[0303] [Formula 1]

[0304]

[0305] In formula 1, s t represents the state of the environment at time t, a t represents the action at time t. By action a t , the state changes to s t+1 . r t+1 represents the reward brought by the change of its state, γ represents the discount rate, and α represents the learning coefficient. In addition, γ is in the range of 0<γ≤1, and α is in the range of 0<α≤1. The current command value becomes action a t , the position information and drive command value become state s t , the best action a for the state st at time t t To study.

[0306] The update formula represented by Formula 1 is that if the action value Q of action a with the highest Q value at time t+1 is greater than the action value Q of action a executed at time t, the action value Q is increased, and in the opposite case, the action value Q is decreased. In other words, the action value function Q(s, a) is updated in such a way that the action value Q of action a at time t is close to the best action value at time t+1. Thus, the best action value in a certain environment is continuously propagated to the action value in its previous environment.

[0307] As described above, when generating a trained model by reinforcement learning, the model generation unit 362I includes a reward calculation unit 362 - 1I and a function update unit 362 - 2I.

[0308] The feedback calculation unit 362-1I calculates the feedback based on the position information of the moving body 20, the driving command value of the moving body 20, and the current command value of the conveying path unit 10. The feedback calculation unit 362-1I calculates the feedback r based on the voltage threshold value predetermined by the magnitude of the voltage to which each coil 121 of the conveying path unit 10 is subjected. The voltage threshold value varies depending on the specifications such as the allowable voltage of the coil 121, so the desired threshold value can be determined by the user. For example, when the voltage is less than or equal to the voltage threshold value of each coil 121, the feedback r is increased (for example, a feedback of "1" is given), and on the other hand, when the voltage exceeds the voltage threshold value of each coil 121, the feedback r is reduced (for example, a feedback of "-1" is given).

[0309] The function updating unit 362-2I updates the function for determining the current command value of the transport path unit 10 according to the reward calculated by the reward calculating unit 362-1I, and outputs it to the memory of the control controller 30I. For example, in the case of Q learning, the action value function Q(s t , a t ) is used as a function for calculating the current command value of the conveying path unit 10.

[0310] The above learning is repeatedly performed. The memory of the control controller 30I stores the action value function Q(s) updated by the function updating unit 362-2I. t , a t ), that is, the trained model is stored.

[0311] Next, use Fig.28 The learning process of the current command generator 36I will be described. Fig.28 This is a flowchart related to the learning process of the current command generator involved in this embodiment 7. In addition, the conveying system 1I of this embodiment 7 has three moving bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C as the moving bodies 20 moving in the conveying path, but the following description specifically describes the moving body 20A.

[0312] In step S2801, the data acquisition unit 361I acquires a data set of the position information of the movable body 20A generated by the position generator 34, the drive command value of the movable body 20A generated by the position controller 35A, and the current command value of the conveying path unit 10 generated by the current command generator 36I based on the position information and the drive command value of the movable body 20A as learning data.

[0313] In step S2802, the model generation unit 362I calculates the reward based on the learning data. Specifically, the reward calculation unit 362-1I obtains the position information of the moving body 20A, the drive command value of the moving body 20A, and the current command value of the conveying path unit 10 generated based on the position information and the drive command value of the moving body 20A, and determines whether to increase the reward (step S2803) or decrease the reward (step S2804) based on a predetermined voltage threshold.

[0314] When the reward calculation unit 362-1I determines that the reward should be increased, the reward calculation unit 362-1I increases the reward in step S2803. On the other hand, when the reward calculation unit 362-1I determines that the reward should be decreased, the reward calculation unit 362-1I decreases the reward in step S2804.

[0315] In step S2805, the function updating unit 362-2I updates the action value function Q(s) represented by equation 1 stored in the memory of the control controller 30I based on the reward calculated by the reward calculating unit 362-1I. t , a t ) to update.

[0316] The current command generator 36I repeatedly executes the above steps from step S2801 to step S2805, and generates the action value function Q(s t , a t ) is stored as a trained model. Similarly, the current command generator 36I obtains the position information of the moving body 20B generated by the position generator 34, the drive command value of the moving body 20B generated by the position controller 35B, and the data set of the current command value of the conveying path unit 10 generated by the current command generator 36I based on the position information and the drive command value of the moving body 20B as learning data through step S2801, and repeatedly executes the steps from step S2802 to step S2805 to generate the action value function Q(s t , a t ) is stored as a trained model. In addition, the current command generator 36I obtains the position information of the moving body 20C generated by the position generator 34, the drive command value of the moving body 20C generated by the position controller 35C, and the data set of the current command value of the conveying path unit 10 generated by the current command generator 36I based on the position information and the drive command value of the moving body 20C as learning data through step S2801, and repeatedly executes the steps from step S2802 to step S2805, and generates an action value function Q(s t , a t ) is stored as a trained model.

[0317] The current command generator 36I involved in the present embodiment 7 stores the trained model in the memory of the control controller 30I, but the trained model can also be stored in a storage device provided outside the control controller 30I. In addition, the structure in which the data acquisition unit 361I and the model generation unit 362I are provided in the current command generator 36I is described, but the data acquisition unit 361I and the model generation unit 362I can also be configured to be provided outside the current command generator 36I. For example, the data acquisition unit 361I and the model generation unit 362I can be configured as a learning device having the data acquisition unit 361I and the model generation unit 362I, and the learning device is provided inside the control controller 30I, and obtains learning data via an internal bus. In addition, the learning device having the data acquisition unit 361I and the model generation unit 362I can also be configured as a frame different from the control controller 30I outside the control controller 30I, and can be connected to the control controller 30I and the learning device via a communication line to be able to communicate, so as to obtain learning data.

[0318] Next, the inference unit 363I of the current command generator 36I is described. The inference unit 363I performs inference using the trained model generated by the above-mentioned model generation unit 362I. Specifically, the current command generator 36I obtains the position information of the moving body 20 and the drive command value of the moving body 20 through the data acquisition unit 361I. Moreover, the inference unit 363I uses the trained model to infer the current command value of the conveying path unit 10. That is, the position information and the drive command value obtained by the data acquisition unit 361I are input to the trained model, thereby being able to infer the current command value suitable for the position information and the drive command value. In addition, the data acquisition unit 361I may also be the communication master station 31 that also has the function of the data acquisition unit 361I.

[0319] Next, use Fig.29 , the process for estimating the current command value by the current command generator 36I will be described. FIGS. 1 and 2 are flowcharts related to the estimation process of the current command generator according to the seventh embodiment.

[0320] In step S2901 , the data acquisition unit 361I acquires the position information of the moving body 20A generated by the position generator 34 and the drive command value of the moving body 20A generated by the position controller 35A.

[0321] In step S2902 , the estimation unit 363I inputs the position information of the moving body 20A and the drive command value of the moving body 20A to the trained model stored in the memory of the control controller 30I, and obtains the current command value of the transport path unit 10 .

[0322] In the transport system 1I of the seventh embodiment, as the moving bodies 20 moving in the transport path, in addition to the moving body 20A, there are also moving bodies 20B and 20C. After step S2902, the current command generator 36I repeats step 2901 and step 2902 by the number of moving bodies 20. Specifically, the data acquisition unit 361I executes step 2901 again to obtain the position information of the moving body 20B generated by the position generator 34 and the drive command value of the moving body 20B generated by the position controller 35B. Then, step S2902 is executed, and the inference unit 363I inputs the position information and the drive command value of the moving body 20B to the trained model stored in the memory of the control controller 30I, and obtains the current command value of the transport path unit 10. On this basis, the data acquisition unit 361I executes step 2901 again to obtain the position information of the moving body 20C generated by the position generator 34 and the drive command value of the moving body 20C generated by the position controller 35C. Then, step S2902 is executed, and the estimation unit 363I inputs the position information of the moving body 20C and the drive command value to the trained model stored in the memory of the control controller 30I, and obtains the current command value of the transport path unit 10.

[0323] In step S2903, the current command generator 36I combines the current command values ​​of all the conveying path units 10 obtained by the inference unit 363I to generate the current command values ​​of all the conveying path units 10 in the conveying path of the conveying system 1I, and outputs the generated current command values ​​of the conveying path units 10 to the communication main station 31.

[0324] After step S2903, the control controller 30I implements the same method as that used in the first embodiment. Figure 7 Then, the transport system 1I performs the same operation as in the step S707 described above. Figure 8 The steps S801 to S805 described above implement control of the moving object 20 .

[0325] In addition, the current command generator 36I may be configured to include a data acquisition unit 361I and an estimation unit 363I instead of the calculation circuit described in the first embodiment when there is a trained model for estimating the current command value of the conveying path unit 10 that has been generated. In the above case, the current command value of the conveying path unit 10 can also be generated. In addition, in the case where the communication master station 31 also has the function of the data acquisition unit 361I, the current command generator 36I may not include the data acquisition unit 361I. In addition, although the data acquisition unit 361I and the estimation unit 363I are provided in the current command generator 36I, the data acquisition unit 361I and the estimation unit 363I may be provided outside the current command generator 36I. For example, the data acquisition unit 361I and the estimation unit 363I may be configured as an estimation device including the data acquisition unit 361I and the estimation unit 363I, and the estimation device is provided inside the control controller 30I. In addition, the estimation device having the data acquisition unit 361I and the estimation unit 363I may be configured as a frame different from the control controller 30I outside the control controller 30I, and the control controller 30I and the estimation device may be connected to each other for communication via a communication line or the like.

[0326] As described above, the control controller 30I according to the seventh embodiment can generate a current command value as control data by machine learning. The above-described transport system 1I has the same effects as the transport system 1 according to the first embodiment, and can search for an optimal current command value by machine learning.

[0327] Variation example.

[0328] In the transport systems described in the above-mentioned Embodiments 1 to 7, the movable body 20 can be mounted on the transport path unit 10 via a guide rail (not shown). Alternatively, the movable body 20 can be placed on the transport path unit 10 without being fixed via a guide rail or the like, and the magnet of the movable body 20 and the coil of the transport path unit 10 interact with each other, thereby allowing the movable body 20 to move on the transport path unit 10.

[0329] The conveying system described in the above-mentioned embodiments 1 to 7 is described as a moving magnetic linear conveying system, in which the moving body 20 has a magnet, and the conveying path unit 10 has a coil. These magnets and coils constitute a moving magnetic linear motor, and the moving body 20 moves along the conveying path formed by the conveying path unit 10. However, the conveying system of the present invention can also be configured as a roller conveyor conveying system, which has a rotary motor instead of the coil of the conveying path unit 10, and has rollers rotated by the rotary motor. Specifically, the roller conveyor conveying system Fig.30The transport path units 10 - 2 shown are connected to form a transport path. In addition, the movable body 20 - 1 moving in the transport path of the roller conveyor system does not need to have the mover magnet group 22 , and for example, a pallet on which the workpiece is placed or the workpiece itself can be used as the movable body.

[0330] like Fig.30 As shown, in the conveying path unit 10-2, a rotary motor 121-1 is provided instead of the coil 121 of the above-mentioned conveying path unit 10. In addition, the conveying path unit 10-2 has a roller not shown in the figure which is rotated by the rotary motor 121-1. The other structures of the conveying path unit 10-2 are the same as those of the conveying path unit 10, and therefore the description is omitted. Each rotary motor 121-1 of the conveying path unit 10-2 is supplied with a current controlled by a current controller 124 and an inverter circuit 122, thereby rotating, and the rotary motor 121-1 rotates, thereby rotating the roller, and moving the moving body 20-1. The scale 13 ( Fig.30 It is sufficient that the movable body 20-1 has a sensor that can detect the movable body 20-1, for example, an optical sensor can be used. In addition, when the movable body 20-1 has a position detection magnet group 23, the above-mentioned Hall sensor and magnetoresistive sensor can also be used. In addition, the control controller of the conveyor conveying system can be configured in the same manner as the control controller described in the above-mentioned embodiments 1 to 7, so the description is omitted. In the conveying system as described above, the effect of the present invention can also be achieved.

[0331] The conveying system of the present invention may be configured as a belt conveyor system in which the rotary motors 121 - 1 of the conveying path unit 10 - 2 are arranged at wider intervals and belts are hung between adjacent rollers to configure a belt conveyor.

[0332] In the transport system described in the above-mentioned embodiments 1, 2, 5, 6, and 7, the communication master station 31 performs the first communication using the communication frames T1A to T1C to transmit the position command values ​​and position information of each of the mobile bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C to the communication slave station 32. In addition, the position controllers 35A, 35B, and 35C calculate the position deviation based on the position command value and position information of the mobile body when generating the drive command value of the mobile body 20 based on the acquired position command value and position information of the mobile body. However, the communication master station 31 may obtain the position deviation and perform the first communication using the communication frames T1A to T1C to transmit the position deviation of each of the mobile bodies 20A, 20B, and 20C to the communication slave station 32. Furthermore, the position controllers 35A, 35B, and 35C may generate the drive command value of the mobile body 20 based on the acquired position deviation.

[0333] Specifically, the position command generator 33 of the control controller of the conveying system generates a position command value of the mobile body 20. The position generator 34 generates the position information of the mobile body 20. Moreover, the processor of the control controller generates a position deviation based on the position command value of the mobile body 20 and the position information of the mobile body 20, and outputs it to the communication master station 31. The communication master station 31 specifies the desired communication slave station 32 using the communication frames T1A to T1C, and performs the first communication of sending the acquired position deviation to the designated communication slave station 32. The position controller 35 obtains the position deviation from the communication slave station 32 and generates the drive command value of the mobile body 20. In addition, similarly to the above-mentioned embodiments, when the communication master station 31 sends the communication frames T1A, T1B, and T1C to the communication slave stations 32A to 32C, when it is not necessary to specify each of the communication slave stations 32A to 32C, the communication master station 31 may not specify the communication slave stations 32A to 32C. Furthermore, the control controller may have a configuration as a position deviation generator that generates a position deviation based on the position command value of the moving body 20 and the position information of the moving body 20 .

[0334] The above-described transport system can reduce the data size of the communication frame sent by the communication master station 31 in the first communication, and can shorten the time taken for the first communication. In addition, the above-described transport system can reduce the computational load of the position controller 35. As a result, the transport system can suppress control delay as a whole, and can improve the control performance of the moving body 20.

[0335] The conveying system described in the above-mentioned embodiments 3 and 4 may be a control controller composed of a position command controller, a drive controller, and a track controller. However, the control controller described in embodiments 3 and 4 is not limited to the above-mentioned method. For example, the control controller may also be configured to include a position command controller and a track controller that are integrated with the position command controller and the drive controller. In addition, the control controller may also be configured to include a track controller and a position command controller that are integrated with the track controller and the drive controller. That is, the structure of the drive controller may also be included in other controllers that constitute the control controller.

[0336] In addition, in the conveying system described in the above-mentioned embodiment 5, the control controller is composed of a position control controller and a drive controller. However, the control controller described in the embodiment 5 is not limited to the above-mentioned method. For example, the position control controller and the drive controller may be integrated to form the control controller, or the position control controller, the drive controller, and the track controller may form the control controller.

[0337] Furthermore, the control controller of the transport system described in the sixth and seventh embodiments may be constituted by a plurality of controllers as in the second to fifth embodiments.

[0338] The delivery system described in the above embodiments 1 to 7 may be as follows Fig.31 As shown, another drive system 500 is connected to the control controller 30 (30I, 30V, 30W, 30X, 30Y, 30Z). The drive system 500 connected to the control controller 30 (30I, 30V, 30W, 30X, 30Y, 30Z) is a system that drives a drive device 501 of the drive system 500 based on a position command value generated by a position command generator 33 of the control controller 30 (30I, 30V, 30W, 30X, 30Y, 30Z). The drive system 500 described above is, for example, a drive system having a rotary motor as the drive device 501 and a motor control device 502 that controls the rotary motor based on the position command value, and a drive system having a moving coil type linear motor as the drive device 501 and a motor control device 502 that controls the moving coil type linear motor based on the position command value.

[0339] The motor control device 502 and the drive device 501 of the drive system 500 can adopt the motor control device and the drive device known in the past, and the motor control device implements the positioning of the motor as the drive device (determination of at least one of the rotation speed, rotation angle, torque, moving speed, moving distance, etc.) based on the obtained position command value. In addition, the drive system connects the motor control device and the control controller of the conveying system through a communication line. Thus, the drive system 500 can obtain the position command value generated by the position command generator 33 of the control controller 30 (30I, 30V, 30W, 30X, 30Y, 30Z). Specifically, the communication master station 31 of the control controller 30 (30I, 30V, 30W, 30X, 30Y, 30Z) sends the position command value to the motor control device 502. The motor control device 502 can obtain the position command value via the communication line.

[0340] The above-described conveying system can operate the driving device of the driving system in synchronization with the movement of the m...

Claims

1. A conveying system comprising: A plurality of conveying path units constituting a moving path for a plurality of moving bodies to move and providing a driving force to the moving bodies; a communication master station communicatively connected to a conveying path communication slave station provided in the conveying path unit; A communication slave station, which is communicatively connected to the communication master station; a position instruction generator connected to the communication master station and generating a position instruction value for each of the plurality of moving bodies, that is, a position instruction value for the moving body; a position generator connected to the communication master station and generating position information of each of the plurality of moving bodies, that is, position information of the moving body; a position controller connected to the communication slave station and assigned to the mobile body, generating a driving command value for the mobile body based on a position command value for the mobile body, position information for the mobile body, or a position deviation obtained from the position command value for the mobile body and the position information for the mobile body; as well as a current command generator that generates a current command value for a conveying path unit based on the drive command value of the moving body and the position information of the moving body, The communication master station performs a first communication of transmitting the position command value of the moving body and the position information of the moving body or the position deviation to the communication slave station, When the current command generator is connected to the communication master station, the communication slave station performs a second communication of sending the driving command value of the moving body toward the communication master station, and the communication master station performs a third communication of sending the current command value of the conveying path unit toward the conveying path communication slave station. When the current command generator is connected to the communication slave station, the communication slave station performs a fourth communication of transmitting the current command value of the conveying path unit to the communication master station, and the communication master station performs the third communication. When the current command generator is connected to the conveying path communication slave station, the communication slave station implements the second communication, and the communication master station implements the fifth communication of sending the driving command value of the movable body and the position information of the movable body to the conveying path communication slave station.

2. The delivery system according to claim 1, wherein: The number of the position controllers is less than or equal to the number of the moving bodies.

3. The delivery system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The moving body has a magnet, The conveying path unit includes at least one coil and a current controller that outputs a control signal for controlling a current supplied to the coil based on a current command value of the conveying path unit. The magnet and the coil constitute a moving magnet linear motor. The transport path unit applies the driving force to the moving body by supplying current to the coil.

4. The delivery system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The transport path unit includes a position detector that detects the moving body and outputs a detection signal. The conveying path communication slave station implements a sixth communication of sending the scale detection information obtained based on the detection signal toward the communication master station, The position generator generates position information of a moving object based on the scale detection information.

5. The delivery system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: have: a data acquisition unit that acquires learning data including position information of the movable body, a drive command value of the movable body, and a current command value of the conveying path unit; as well as A model generation unit generates a trained model for estimating a current command value of the transport path unit based on the position information of the movable body and the drive command value of the movable body, using the learning data.

6. The delivery system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: have: a data acquisition unit that acquires position information of the moving body and a drive command value of the moving body; and An inference unit uses a trained model for inferring a current command value of the conveying path unit based on the position information of the movable body and the driving command value of the movable body, and outputs the current command value of the conveying path unit based on the position information of the movable body and the driving command value of the movable body acquired by the data acquisition unit.

7. The delivery system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The connection between the communication master station, the communication slave station and the conveying path communication slave station is a daisy chain connection in which the communication master station is connected to the communication slave station and the communication slave station is connected to the conveying path communication slave station.

8. The delivery system according to claim 7, wherein: A control controller is provided, and the control controller is connected to the conveying path unit. The control controller is composed of a position command controller and a drive controller. The position command controller has the position command generator, the position generator, the current command generator and the communication master station, and the drive controller has the position controller and the communication slave station.

9. The delivery system according to claim 7, wherein: A control controller is provided, and the control controller is connected to the conveying path unit. The control controller is composed of a position command controller and a drive controller. The position command controller has the position command generator, the position generator and the communication master station, and the drive controller has the position controller, the current command generator and the communication slave station.

10. The delivery system according to claim 7, wherein: A control controller is provided, and the control controller is connected to the conveying path unit. The conveying path unit includes the current command generator. The control controller is composed of a position command controller and a drive controller. The position command controller has the position command generator, the position generator and the communication master station, and the drive controller has the position controller and the communication slave station.

11. The delivery system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The communication master station is composed of a first communication master station and a second communication master station. The first communication master station sends the position instruction value of the mobile body as the first communication, and the second communication master station sends the position information of the mobile body as the first communication, receives the drive instruction value of the mobile body sent through the second communication, and implements the third communication.

12. The delivery system according to claim 11, wherein: The connection among the first communication master station, the second communication master station, the communication slave station and the conveying path communication slave station is a daisy chain connection in which the first communication master station is connected to the communication slave station, the communication slave station is connected to the second communication master station, and the second communication master station is connected to the conveying path communication slave station.

13. The delivery system according to claim 12, wherein: A control controller is provided, and the control controller is connected to the conveying path unit. The control controller is composed of a position command controller having the position command generator and the first communication master station, a drive controller having the position controller and the communication slave station, and a track controller having the position generator, the current command generator and the second communication master station.

14. The delivery system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The communication master station is composed of a first communication master station, a third communication master station and a fourth communication master station, wherein the first communication master station sends the position instruction value of the mobile body as the first communication, the third communication master station sends the position information of the mobile body as the first communication and receives the driving instruction value of the mobile body sent through the second communication, and the fourth communication master station implements the third communication. The communication slave station is composed of a first communication slave station and a second communication slave station. The first communication slave station receives the position instruction value of the mobile body sent through the first communication of the first communication master station, and the second communication slave station receives the position information of the mobile body sent through the first communication of the third communication master station and implements the second communication.

15. The delivery system according to claim 14, wherein: The connection between the first communication master station, the third communication master station, the fourth communication master station, the first communication slave station, the second communication slave station and the conveying path communication slave station is a daisy chain connection in which the first communication master station is connected to the first communication slave station, the third communication master station is connected to the second communication slave station, and the fourth communication master station is connected to the conveying path communication slave station.

16. The delivery system according to claim 15, wherein: A control controller is provided, and the control controller is connected to the conveying path unit. The control controller is composed of a position command controller having the position command generator and the first communication master station, a drive controller having the position controller, the first communication slave station and the second communication slave station, and a track controller having the position generator, the current command generator, the third communication master station and the fourth communication master station.

17. The delivery system according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein: The first communication, the second communication, and the third communication are performed at a predetermined communication cycle. A communication cycle of the first communication for transmitting the position command value of the moving object is different from a communication cycle of the second communication and a communication cycle of the third communication.

18. The delivery system according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein: The first communication, the second communication, and the third communication are performed at a predetermined communication cycle. The communication cycle of the first communication is longer than the communication cycle of the second communication and the communication cycle of the third communication.

19. The delivery system according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein: have: A control controller, which has at least the position instruction generator, the position generator, the communication master station, the position controller and the communication slave station, and is connected to the conveying path unit; as well as The drive system includes a motor control device connected to the control controller and acquiring the position command value generated by the position command generator.

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