System and method for identifying magnetic movers

Abstract

A system is described in which a magnetic mover includes at least one mover identification device. The system also includes a stator defining a working surface and including an actuation coil assembly and at least one stator identification device operable to interact with the at least one magnetic mover identification device. The one or more sensors are used for sensing the position of the first magnetic rotor. One or more stator drive circuits are used to drive the actuation coil assembly to move the first magnetic mover over the working surface. The first magnetic mover includes one or more magnetic components positioned such that interaction of one or more magnetic fields emitted by the one or more magnetic components with one or more magnetic fields generated by the actuation coil assembly when driven by the one or more stator drive circuits enables the first magnetic mover to move in at least two degrees of freedom.

Description

[0001] Divisional application

[0002] This invention application is a divisional application; the application number of the original application is 201980066839.6, the application date is October 14, 2019, and the name of the invention is “System and method for identifying magnetic movers”. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to a system and method for identifying a magnetic mover. Background Art

[0004] Motion stages (e.g., XY stages and rotary stages) are widely used in various manufacturing, inspection, and assembly processes. A common approach currently is to stack two linear stages (e.g., an X stage and a Y stage) together by connecting bearings to achieve XY motion. A more ideal approach is to use a single motion stage capable of XY motion, thereby eliminating the need for additional bearings. Such a motion stage is expected to be able to achieve at least some degree of Z motion. Attempts have been made to design such displacement devices using the interaction between current-carrying coils and permanent magnets. For example, a magnetic mover can move relative to a stator to generate one or more magnetic fields.

[0005] However, one problem with such a system is that it may be difficult for the controller of the stator to distinguish one mover on the stator from other movers on the stator. Summary of the invention

[0006] In general, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a system including one or more magnetic movers and one or more stators is described. The stator defines a working surface (e.g., a 2-dimensional planar working surface) and includes an actuating coil assembly for driving the one or more magnetic movers to move on the working surface. The stator includes at least one stator identification device, which in some embodiments is a stator coupling coil. The magnetic mover includes at least one first magnetic response unit (first MRU) and at least one mover identification device (second magnetic response unit or second MRU). The stator coupling coil and the second MRU (more generally, the stator identification device and the mover identification device) are operable to interact with each other, such as through magnetic induction interaction. According to some embodiments, the interaction between the stator identification device and the mover identification device may be active rather than passive, without using magnetic induction. For example, the stator identification device may initiate communication with the mover identification device and request the mover identification device to send identification information or other information to the stator identification device. Or, for example, the mover identification device may periodically send identification information or other information to the stator identification device.

[0007] The system may also include one or more sensors for sensing the position of the magnetic mover. Based on the position of the magnetic mover, the controller may control one or more stator drive circuits to drive the actuation coil assembly to move the magnetic mover on the work surface. Specifically, the actuation coil assembly may interact with one or more magnetic components (e.g., one or more magnet arrays) on the mover to move the mover on the work surface. The movement may be performed in at least two or more degrees of freedom, such as in the x and y directions.

[0008] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a system is provided, the system comprising: at least one magnetic mover, including a first magnetic mover, wherein the first magnetic mover comprises at least one mover identification device; a stator, the stator defining a working surface and comprising: an actuating coil assembly, the actuating coil assembly comprising a plurality of actuating coils; and at least one stator identification device, the stator identification device being operable to interact with the at least one mover identification device; one or more sensors for sensing the position of the first magnetic mover; and one or more stator drive circuits, the stator drive circuit being used to drive the actuating coil assembly to move the first magnetic mover on the working surface, wherein the first magnetic mover comprises one or more magnetic components, the one or more magnetic components being arranged so that the interaction of one or more magnetic fields emitted by the one or more magnetic components with one or more magnetic fields generated by the actuating coil assembly when driven by the one or more stator drive circuits enables the first magnetic mover to move with at least two degrees of freedom.

[0009] The working surface may separate the first magnetic mover from one or more of the actuation coil assembly and the at least one stator identification device.

[0010] The at least two degrees of freedom may include orthogonal x-axis and y-axis degrees of freedom.

[0011] The working surface may extend in an xy plane.

[0012] The one or more magnetic components may be a first magnetic-responsive unit.

[0013] The at least one stator identification device may be a stator coupling coil assembly.

[0014] The at least one mover identification device may be a second magnetic response unit.

[0015] The at least one mover identification device may include at least one mover induction coil.

[0016] The at least one stator identification device may include at least one stator coupling coil.

[0017] The stator may also include one or more coupled coil drive circuits for driving the at least one stator coupled coil.

[0018] One or more of the shape and geometry of the at least one stator coupling coil may be different from corresponding one or more of the shapes and geometries of the plurality of actuation coils.

[0019] When current is driven through the at least one stator coupling coil, the at least one stator coupling coil may be configured to magnetically couple with the at least one mover induction coil of the at least one mover identification device.

[0020] The one or more stator drive circuits are operable to drive the plurality of actuation coils at one or more frequencies different from one or more frequencies used to operate the at least one stator identification device to reduce interference between the plurality of actuation coils and the at least one stator identification device.

[0021] The at least two degrees of freedom may include orthogonal x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis degrees of freedom, and corresponding rotational degrees of freedom about the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis.

[0022] The at least one mover identification device may include a plurality of mover identification devices.

[0023] The system may also include a controller communicatively coupled to the one or more sensors and operable to perform a method comprising: activating the one or more stator drive circuits to drive the actuation coil assembly to move the first magnetic mover to a sensing position associated with a stator identification device among the at least one stator identification device on a working surface; and activating the stator identification device to enable interaction between the stator identification device and the at least one mover identification device.

[0024] The method may further comprise, after activating the stator identification device, identifying the first magnetic mover based on identification information transmitted from the at least one mover identification device to the stator identification device.

[0025] The method may further comprise determining an orientation of the first magnetic mover based on the transmitted identification information. The orientation may be an Rz orientation range.

[0026] The sensing position may comprise a position sufficiently close to the stator identification device such that at least one orientation of the first magnetic mover allows data to be transferred between the at least one mover identification device and the stator identification device.

[0027] Activating the stator identification device to achieve interaction between the stator identification device and the at least one mover identification device may include: activating the stator identification device; then determining whether the identification information has been transmitted from the at least one mover identification device to the stator identification device; if not, adjusting the position of the first magnetic mover.

[0028] Adjusting the position of the first magnetic mover may include translating the first magnetic mover to a new sensing position associated with the stator identification device.

[0029] The method may further comprise determining the orientation of the first magnetic mover based on the identification information transmitted from the at least one mover identification device to the stator identification device and based on the adjusted position of the first magnetic mover.

[0030] The at least one mover identification device may include multiple mover identification devices, each mover identification device is associated with unique identification information of the first magnetic mover, and the method may also include: determining the orientation of the first magnetic mover based on identification information transmitted from at least one mover identification device among the multiple mover identification devices to the stator identification device.

[0031] The at least one mover identification device may include multiple mover identification devices, which are arranged so that when the first magnetic mover is in a sensing position associated with a stator identification device among the at least one stator identification device, at least one mover identification device among the multiple mover identification devices is sufficiently close to the stator identification device to allow data to be transmitted between the at least one mover identification device and the stator identification device.

[0032] The at least one stator identification device may include multiple stator identification devices, which are arranged so that when the first magnetic mover is in a sensing position associated with a stator identification device among the multiple stator identification devices, the at least one mover identification device is sufficiently close to the stator identification device to allow data to be transmitted between the at least one mover identification device and the stator identification device.

[0033] The at least one mover identification device may be associated with identification information that uniquely identifies the first magnetic mover.

[0034] The center of the at least one mover identification device may be offset from the center of the one or more magnetic components of the first magnetic mover.

[0035] The at least one stator identification device may be dimensioned such that for at least one position of the first magnetic mover on or over the working surface at least a portion of the at least one mover identification device overlaps with at least a portion of the at least one stator identification device.

[0036] The one or more magnetic components may include multiple magnet arrays, each magnet array includes multiple linear slender magnetized segments defining an extension direction, and the axial direction of the magnetic core of at least one mover identification device may be aligned with the extension direction defined by the linear slender magnetized segments closest to the at least one mover identification device.

[0037] Each magnetized segment may have a magnetization direction, and the axial direction of the magnetic core of the at least one mover identification device may be orthogonal to the magnetization direction of the magnetized segment closest to the magnetic core.

[0038] The at least one mover identification device may include a magnetic core, the one or more magnetic components may include a plurality of magnet arrays, the plurality of magnet arrays include a plurality of linear slender magnetized segments, the linear slender magnetized segments closest to the at least one mover identification device may have a first end and a second end, and: the separation distance between the first end and the center of the magnetic core in the axial direction of the magnetic core may be greater than the length of the magnetic core; and the separation distance between the second end and the center of the magnetic core in the axial direction of the magnetic core may be greater than the length of the magnetic core.

[0039] The at least one mover identification device may include a magnetic core, the one or more magnetic components may include a plurality of magnet arrays, the plurality of magnet arrays include a plurality of linear slender magnetized segments, the linear slender magnetized segments closest to the at least one mover identification device may have a first end and a second end, and: the separation distance between the first end and the center of the magnetic core in the axial direction of the magnetic core may be greater than about 1 / 3 of the separation distance between the first end and the second end; and the separation distance between the second end and the center of the magnetic core in the axial direction of the magnetic core may be greater than about 1 / 3 of the separation distance between the first end and the second end.

[0040] The first magnetic mover may comprise a magnetic robotic device carrying a workpiece, and the at least one mover identification device may be comprised in the workpiece.

[0041] The one or more magnetic components may include a plurality of magnet arrays surrounding the at least one mover identification device.

[0042] The at least one mover identification device may include an induction coil wound around a magnetic core.

[0043] The at least one mover identification device may include a storage component that stores identification information for identifying the first magnetic mover.

[0044] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided, the method comprising: providing a system, the system comprising: at least one magnetic mover, including a first magnetic mover, wherein the first magnetic mover includes at least one mover identification device; a stator, the stator defining a working surface and comprising: an actuating coil assembly, the actuating coil assembly including a plurality of actuating coils; and at least one stator identification device; and one or more stator drive circuits for driving the actuating coil assembly; transmitting identification information from the at least one mover identification device to the at least one stator identification device; and identifying the first magnetic mover based on the identification information, wherein the first magnetic mover includes one or more magnetic components, the one or more magnetic components being arranged so that the interaction of one or more magnetic fields emitted by the one or more magnetic components with the one or more magnetic fields generated by the actuating coil assembly when driven by the one or more stator drive circuits enables the first magnetic mover to move with at least two degrees of freedom.

[0045] The method may further comprise determining the position of the first magnetic mover using one or more sensors.

[0046] The working surface may separate the first magnetic mover from one or more of the actuation coil assembly and the at least one stator identification device.

[0047] The at least one mover identification device may include at least one mover induction coil, and the at least one stator identification device may include at least one stator coupling coil.

[0048] When current is driven through the at least one stator coupling coil and / or the at least one mover induction coil of the at least one mover identification device, the one or more stator drive circuits may not drive current through the multiple actuating coils to minimize interference of the multiple actuating coils with the at least one stator coupling coil and / or the at least one mover induction coil.

[0049] Transmitting the identification information may include transmitting the identification information using electromagnetic induction.

[0050] The stator may also include one or more coupled coil drive circuits for driving the at least one stator coupled coil.

[0051] The method may also include: before identifying the first magnetic mover, activating the one or more stator drive circuits to drive the actuating coil assembly to move the first magnetic mover on the working surface to a sensing position associated with a stator identification device among the at least one stator identification device; and activating the stator identification device to achieve interaction between the stator identification device and the at least one mover identification device.

[0052] The method may further include determining an orientation of the first magnetic mover based on the transmitted identification information.

[0053] Activating the stator identification device to achieve interaction between the stator identification device and the at least one mover identification device may include: activating the stator identification device; then determining whether the identification information has been transmitted from the at least one mover identification device to the stator identification device; if not, adjusting the position of the first magnetic mover.

[0054] Adjusting the position of the first magnetic mover may include translating the first magnetic mover to a new sensing position associated with the stator identification device.

[0055] The method may further comprise determining the orientation of the first magnetic mover based on the identification information transmitted between the at least one mover identification device and the stator identification device and based on the adjusted position of the first magnetic mover.

[0056] The at least one mover identification device may include multiple mover identification devices, each mover identification device is associated with unique identification information of the first magnetic mover, and the method may also include: determining the orientation of the first magnetic mover based on identification information transmitted from at least one mover identification device among the multiple mover identification devices to the stator identification device.

[0057] The first magnetic mover may include a magnetic robotic device carrying a workpiece, the at least one mover identification device may be included in the workpiece, and identifying the first magnetic mover may include identifying the workpiece based on the identification information.

[0058] The method may also include: when the at least one stator identification device is used to communicate with the at least one mover identification device, optimizing the Z-direction distance between the first magnetic mover and the working surface to strengthen the coupling between the at least one mover identification device and the at least one stator identification device, wherein the Z-direction distance may include zero distance.

[0059] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer readable medium comprising a computer program code, the computer program code being configured to, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform any of the methods described herein.

[0060] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a magnetic mover is provided, which includes: at least one identification device associated with identification information for identifying the magnetic mover, the at least one identification device including at least one magnetic core; and a magnet array including linear elongated magnetized segments defining corresponding extension directions, wherein the axial direction of the at least one magnetic core is aligned with the extension direction defined by the linear elongated magnetized segment closest to the at least one identification device.

[0061] The linear elongated magnetized segment closest to the at least one identification device may have a first and a second end, and: the separation distance between the first end and the center of the at least one magnetic core in the axial direction of the at least one magnetic core may be greater than the length of the at least one magnetic core; and the separation distance between the second end and the center of the at least one magnetic core in the axial direction of the at least one magnetic core may be greater than the length of the at least one magnetic core.

[0062] The center of the at least one identification device may be offset from the center of the magnetic mover.

[0063] The magnet array may surround the at least one identification device.

[0064] When the at least one identification device is driven by electric current, the axis of the main magnetic flux generated by the at least one identification device may be orthogonal to the magnetic field emitted by the magnet array closest to the identification device at the center of the identification device.

[0065] The at least one identification device may include an induction coil wound around a magnetic core.

[0066] The at least one identification device may include a storage component that stores the identification information.

[0067] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a stator is provided, which includes: an actuating coil assembly, which includes a plurality of actuating coils; at least one coupling coil, which has one or more shapes and geometries that are different from the corresponding one or more shapes and geometries of the actuating coils; one or more stator drive circuits for driving the actuating coil assembly; and one or more coupling coil drive circuits for driving the at least one coupling coil.

[0068] The one or more stator drive circuits are operable to drive the multiple actuation coils at one or more frequencies different from one or more frequencies used by the one or more coupled coil drive circuits to drive the at least one coupled coil to reduce interference between the multiple actuation coils and the at least one coupled coil.

[0069] It will be appreciated that in various applications, it may be desirable to facilitate traceability and detection of the in-plane orientation of the mover (e.g., for efficiency or any other appropriate reason). For example, a user may wish to mate an elongated workpiece (carried by the mover) oriented in the positive X direction with a second workpiece located at an assembly station. However, if the mover is rotated 90 or 180 degrees, either manually or by automated means, the carried workpiece may be oriented in the Y or -X direction; the second workpiece may not be able to mate with the carried workpiece when the rotated mover is moved to the assembly station.

[0070] This summary does not necessarily describe the entire scope of all aspects. Other aspects, features and advantages will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following description of specific embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0071] The accompanying drawings illustrate one or more exemplary embodiments, in which:

[0072] Figure 1A A system including a mover, a stator and a controller according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0073] Figure 1B-1D An actuation coil circuit of an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0074] Figure 1E A coupled coil circuit of an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0075] Figure 2 A mover according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0076] Figure 3 A second magnetic response unit of an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0077] Figure 4A and 4B A coupled coil circuit of an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0078] Figure 4C shows the effective stator coupled coil area of ​​an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0079] Figure 4D shows a plurality of effective stator coupled coil areas of an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0080] Figure 5 The mover and stator of the embodiment of the present disclosure are shown;

[0081] Figures 6A-6D Different orientations of movers of embodiments of the present disclosure are shown;

[0082] Fig. 7A Different orientations of movers of embodiments of the present disclosure are shown;

[0083] Figure 7B shows different sensing locations of embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0084] Figure 8 A mover and a stator having a plurality of stator coupled coil assemblies according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are shown;

[0085] Fig. 9A A plurality of magnet arrays of a mover of an embodiment of the present disclosure are shown;

[0086] Fig. 9B The magnetized segment of the magnet array of the mover of the embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0087] Fig. 10A A second magnetically responsive unit adjacent to a magnet array of an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0088] Fig. 10B Shows Fig. 10A Neighborhood Fig. 10A another view of a second magnetically responsive unit of a magnet array;

[0089] Figure 11-13 A system including a mover, a stator and a controller according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0090] Figures 14A-14D Different orientations of movers relative to effective stator coupled coil areas of embodiments of the present disclosure are shown;

[0091] Fig.15 A flow chart showing a method for identifying a mover and determining an orientation of the mover according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0092] Fig.16A A system of an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, the system comprising a stator, a controller, and a mover carrying a workpiece including a magnetic response unit;

[0093] Fig. 16B Shows Fig.16A A top view of the system; and

[0094] Fig.17 A system including a stator, a controller, and a mover carrying a workpiece according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0095] The present disclosure seeks to provide an improved system and method for identifying magnetic movers. Although various embodiments of the present disclosure are described below, the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments and variations of these embodiments are within the scope of the present disclosure which is limited only by the appended claims.

[0096] In the following description, specific details are set forth so that those skilled in the art can more fully understand the present disclosure. However, well-known elements in the prior art may not be shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present disclosure. Therefore, the description and drawings should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive.

[0097] According to some embodiments, a robotic device (or system) including one or more stators and one or more movers is provided. Each mover may carry one or more workpieces or parts (workpieces and parts may be used interchangeably in the present disclosure). In some applications, multiple movers may carry a part holder that may hold one or more parts. "Part" is a general term, non-limiting examples of which include components, samples, or assemblies. Typically, the stator and one or more movers may interact through one or more magnetic fields, so that the stator may provide force and / or torque to the one or more movers to controllably move the one or more movers. In some embodiments, all movers in the system are substantially similar or nearly identical; however, this is not necessary, and the system may include movers including magnet arrays of different sizes and / or configurations. In some embodiments, the stator may include a plurality of coils distributed in one or more planar layers. In some embodiments, the stator may also include a plurality of teeth, such as iron teeth.

[0098] The stator provides a working surface (which can have any suitable shape, such as flat, curved, cylindrical or spherical), and each mover can move along, over or on the working surface in contact (via one or more contact media, such as sliding and / or rolling bearings, contact mode or sitting mode) or without any contact by maintaining a controllable gap between the mover and the stator in the normal direction of the working surface. This gap can be maintained by passive or active suspension devices.

[0099] In the present disclosure, movable motion platform, movable platform, motion platform and mover are used interchangeably. Each mover may include one or more magnet assemblies. Each magnet assembly may include one or more magnet arrays rigidly connected together. Each magnet array may include one or more magnetized elements. Each magnetized element has a magnetization direction. Typically, the magnets on the mover interact with the stator coil through a working gap, which is much smaller than the lateral dimension of the mover (i.e., the dimension parallel to the working surface of the stator).

[0100] In some embodiments, one or more amplifiers may be connected to drive multiple currents in multiple coils in the one or more stators. One or more controllers may be connected to deliver control signals to the one or more amplifiers. The control signals may be used to control the current driven by the one or more amplifiers into at least some of the multiple coils. The current controllably driven into at least some of the multiple coils generates a magnetic field, which causes a corresponding magnetic force on one or more magnet assemblies of the mover, thereby controllably moving the mover relative to the stator (e.g., on or above a working surface) with at least 2 in-plane degrees of freedom (DOF), at least 3 in-plane degrees of freedom, or at least 6 degrees of freedom. In some embodiments, when the controller controls the current driven by the one or more amplifiers, the magnetic force associated with the interaction between the magnetic field generated by the current in at least some of the coils and the magnetic field associated with the magnet array may attract the motion platform to the stator. In some embodiments, when the controller controls the current driven by the one or more amplifiers, the magnetic force associated with the interaction between the magnetic field generated by the current in at least some of the coils and the magnetic field associated with the magnet array may force the mover platform to move away from the stator to balance gravity using an air gap. In some embodiments, the gap between the mover and the stator is maintained by an air bearing or a compressed fluid bearing.

[0101] In some embodiments, the mover can work in a suspended mode, that is, the mover can be suspended near the working surface in a passive or active manner without contacting the working surface, and the mover 100 can move along the working surface extending in the X and Y directions, where X and Y are non-parallel directions in two planes. The separation gap between the working surface and the mover is usually much smaller than the size of the mover in the X and Y directions. Although in some embodiments, the mover is capable of controllable movement in 6 degrees of freedom, this is not necessary. In certain applications where the suspension of the mover may not be required and high load-bearing capacity is more important, those skilled in the art will understand that the mover can be seated on the working surface through appropriate mechanical bearings (including but not limited to plane sliding bearings and ball transmission units) and can perform controllable movement in three degrees of freedom in the plane (translation in the X and Y directions, and rotation around the Z direction), where the X and Y directions are non-parallel directions in two planes, and the Z direction is perpendicular to the working surface. The mover operates in a controlled seating mode with 3 degrees of freedom, when the mover is seated on the working surface by means of sliding and / or rolling bearings and the mover is capable of controlled movement in 3 degrees of freedom in the plane (translation in the X and Y directions, and rotation around the Z direction). In some embodiments, the mover is capable of controlled movement in 3 degrees of freedom (translation in the X and Y directions, and rotation around the Z direction) when operating in a suspension mode without contact with the stator; in this mode, the translation in the Z direction and the rotation around the X and Y directions are open-loop controlled without feedback using appropriate passive suspension techniques known to those skilled in the art. When the mover is capable of controlled movement in 3 degrees of freedom without contact with the stator, it operates in a controlled suspension mode with 3 degrees of freedom.

[0102] Typically, the stator working area is a two-dimensional (2D) area provided by the stator working surface, and the mover can be controllably moved in at least two in-plane degrees of freedom within the stator working area using appropriate feedback control algorithms and appropriate position feedback sensors.

[0103] To illustrate the mover disclosed in this article, a pair of coordinate systems can be defined: fixed to the stator (e.g. Figure 1A stator 200); and a stator coordinate system fixed to a motion platform (eg Figure 1AThe mover 100) and the mover coordinate system that moves with the mover relative to the stator and the stator coordinate system. This description may use traditional Cartesian coordinates (x, y, z) to describe these coordinate systems, but it should be understood that other coordinate systems may also be used. For convenience and simplicity, in this specification and related drawings, the directions in the stator coordinate system (e.g., x, y, z directions) and the directions in the mover coordinate system may be displayed and described as being consistent with each other, that is, the stator-x (or Xs), stator-y (or Ys), and stator-z (or Zs) directions may be displayed as being consistent with the mover-x (or Xm), mover-y (Ym), and mover-z (or Zm) directions, respectively. Therefore, the directions (e.g., x, y, and / or z) referred to in this specification and related drawings may specify directions in two or any one of the stator and mover coordinate systems. However, it should be understood from the context of this specification that in some embodiments and / or situations, the mover (e.g., mover 100) may be moved relative to the stator (e.g., stator 200) so that these stator and mover directions are no longer consistent with each other. In this case, the present disclosure may adopt the convention of using the terms stator-x, stator-y, and stator-z to refer to directions and / or coordinates in the stator coordinate system and using the terms mover-x, mover-y, and mover-z to refer to directions and / or coordinates in the mover coordinate system. In this specification and related drawings, the symbols Xm, Ym, and Zm may be used to represent the mover-x, mover-y, and mover-z directions, respectively, the symbols Xs, Ys, and Zs may be used to represent the stator-x, stator-y, and stator-z directions, respectively, and the symbols X, Y, and Z may be used to represent one or two of the mover-x, mover-y, and mover-z directions, respectively. In some embodiments, during normal operation, the mover z-direction and the stator z-direction are approximately in the same direction (e.g., within ±30° in some embodiments; within ±10° in some embodiments; within ±2° in some embodiments). Although the working surface is substantially flat and planar in the present specification, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that this is not necessary, and the working surface of the stator (e.g., the surface facing the mover) can be a curved surface, including but not limited to a cylindrical surface or a spherical surface, with appropriate modifications to the control algorithm and stator coil layout disclosed herein.

[0104] In some embodiments, the stator x and stator y directions are not parallel. In certain embodiments, the stator x and stator y directions are substantially orthogonal. In some embodiments, the mover-x and mover-y directions are not parallel. In certain embodiments, the mover-x and mover-y directions are substantially orthogonal. In some embodiments, the stator x and stator y directions are parallel to the stator working surface, and the stator z direction is perpendicular to the stator working surface.

[0105] Figure 1A A robotic system 900 is shown in accordance with one particular embodiment. Figure 1A A side view of the system 900 is shown. The robot system 900 includes a stator 200 and a mover 100, one or more controllers 70, and one or more sensors 80 (not shown) for providing position feedback signals. The stator 200 includes a stator actuation coil assembly 50 and a stator coupling coil assembly 60. The mover 100 includes at least a first magnetic response unit (first MRU) 10 and a second magnetic response unit (second MRU) 20. The stator actuation coil assembly 50 includes a plurality of actuation coil circuits 51. The actuation coil circuit 51 can be driven by a stator drive circuit with an appropriate current, and the stator drive circuit generates a magnetic field that interacts with the first MRU, thereby moving the mover 100 with at least two in-plane degrees of freedom (for example, but not limited to linear movement in the X and Y directions). The stator coupling coil assembly 60 includes one or more coupling coil circuits 61, which can generate a magnetic field coupled with the second MRU 20 for transferring energy or information. In some embodiments, the coupling coil circuit 61 and the second MRU 20 overlap each other in the Z direction. However, this is not required. In some embodiments, the second MRU 20 overlaps the effective stator coupled coil area 63, which generally extends beyond the footprint of the stator coupled coil assembly 60 in the X and Y directions, respectively, by 10-50% of the linear dimensions of the stator coupled coil assembly 60, such as Figure 4C In some embodiments, the footprint of the effective stator coupled coil region 63 is smaller than the footprint of the coupled coil assembly 60. In some embodiments, a single coupled coil assembly 60 may have more than one effective stator coupled coil region 63, such as Figure 4D As shown. In one example, when the second MRU 20 overlaps the effective stator coupling coil area 63 in the Z direction, the coupling between the second MRU 20 and the coupling coil circuit 61 is very strong and can significantly change the coupling coil mutual inductance compared to weak coupling (e.g., when the second MRU 20 has almost no overlap with the effective stator coupling coil area 63 in the Z direction). In one example, the bidirectional transmission of power / information between the stator coupling coil assembly 60 and the second MRU 20 includes bidirectional information transmission. In another example, the bidirectional transmission of power / information between the stator coupling coil assembly 60 and the second MRU 20 includes power transmission in one direction (e.g., from the stator coupling coil assembly 60 to the second MRU 20) and information transmission in another direction (e.g., from the second MRU 20 to the stator coupling coil assembly 60).

[0106] The coupled coil circuit 61 is driven by a current having a fundamental frequency significantly higher than the fundamental frequency of the current flowing into the actuation coil circuit 51. In one non-limiting example, the fundamental frequency of the current in the actuation coil circuit 51 is in the range of hundreds of hertz or less, while the fundamental frequency of the current in the coupled coil circuit 61 is in the range of tens of thousands of hertz or more. The coupled coil circuit 61 is driven by a current having an amplitude significantly lower than the amplitude of the current driven into the actuation coil circuit 51. In one non-limiting example, the amplitude of the current in the actuation coil circuit 51 is in the range of several amperes or more, while the amplitude of the current in the coupled coil circuit 61 is in the range of several milliamperes or less. The coupled coil circuit 61 has a geometry (shape and / or coil width) significantly different from that of the actuation coil circuit 51. For example, the coil circuit 51 may be linearly elongated in the X or Y direction; the coil circuit 61 may have a rectangular, square, circular, or any other suitable shape in a plane extending along the X or Y direction.

[0107] In one non-limiting example, the first MRU 10 includes a magnet array appropriately designed such that interaction between an actuation coil current and the first MRU 10 through a magnetic field can controllably move the mover 100 in at least two degrees of freedom.

[0108] In one non-limiting example, the second MRU 20 includes an induction coil and a capacitor appropriately connected to form a resonant circuit to facilitate bidirectional transmission of power or information. In some embodiments, the second MRU 20 can transmit its internally stored information to the coupled coil circuit 61 by demodulating the terminal voltage or current of the coupled coil circuit 61.

[0109] In one non-limiting example, the second MRU 20 includes a high conductivity material (such as but not limited to copper or gold) so that the coupling between the second MRU 20 and the coupling coil circuit 61 significantly weakens the inductance of the coupling coil circuit 61, such as by more than 20%. The change (reduction) in inductance can be used to indicate whether the second MRU 20 is located above the coupling coil circuit 61 to detect the in-plane orientation of the mover (its angular rotation relative to the Z axis).

[0110] In a non-limiting example, the second MRU 20 may include a magnetic core made of a high magnetic permeability material (such as but not limited to iron and / or nickel) so that the coupling between the second MRU 20 and the coupling coil circuit 61 is strengthened. In this embodiment, the induction coil of the second MRU 20 is wound on the magnetic core.

[0111] One non-limiting example of the actuation coil circuit 51 and / or the coupling coil circuit 61 is a trace fabricated using printed circuit board fabrication techniques.

[0112] In some embodiments, the actuation coil circuit 51 and the coupling coil circuit 61 overlap each other in the stator Z direction, but are located at different Z positions, so that the coupling coil circuit 61 does not interrupt the continuity of the actuation coil circuit 51, and the mover 100 can be smoothly actuated with at least two planar degrees of freedom during its planar movement.

[0113] The actuation coil circuit 51 and the coupling coil circuit 61 are intentionally designed or created to minimize mutual coupling between the coupling coil circuit 61 and the first MRU 10 and / or mutual coupling between the actuation coil circuit 51 and the second MRU 20 .

[0114] The mover 100 is controllably movable along the working surface 3, which is the top surface of the stator 200 extending in the X and Y directions. Since the actuating coil circuit 51 and the coupling coil circuit 61 are separated from the mover 100 by the working surface 3, the planar motion of the mover 100 in the X and Y directions is not mechanically constrained by the actuating coil circuit 51 or the coupling coil circuit 61.

[0115] The stator 200 includes a controller 70. The controller 70 can obtain information from a position sensor 80 (in Figure 1A The controller 70 may also generate a suitable current flowing through the coupling coil circuit 61 or apply a suitable voltage to the coupling coil circuit 61 to interact with the second MRU 20 to achieve the purpose of wirelessly transmitting power or information, or to achieve the purpose of detecting the presence / absence of the second MRU 20. The controller 70 may also detect or measure the terminal voltage and / or current in the coupling coil circuit 61 for information reception. The controller 70 and the sensor 80 may be configured or connected to controllably move the mover 100 along the working surface 3 relative to the stator 200 in a contact mode or a non-contact mode achieved by separating the mover 100 from the working surface 3 using a Z-direction gap. For example, the controller 70 may be configured to receive a signal from the sensor 80 and generate a current flowing through the coil wires in the stator actuation coil assembly 50 according to a suitable algorithm. Typically, the controller 70 includes power electronics (power amplifiers) to generate a suitable current.

[0116] Through the interaction between the stator actuation coil assembly 50 and the first MRU 10, the mover 100 can be controllably moved relative to the stator 200 in at least two degrees of freedom in the plane around the working area. In some embodiments, the mover 100 can perform controllable movement in 6 degrees of freedom (X, Y, Z, Rx, Ry, and Rz); in some embodiments, the mover 100 can perform controllable movement in three degrees of freedom in the plane (X, Y, and Rz) in the passive suspension mode or the sitting mode.

[0117] Although in Figure 1A Only one mover 100 is shown in FIG. 1 , but those skilled in the art will appreciate that the system may include one or more movers. Figure 1A Only one stator 200 is shown in FIG. 1 , but this is not necessary, as it is obvious that the robotic system may include more than one stator.

[0118] Figure 1B A side view of one non-limiting example of an actuation coil circuit 51 and a coupling coil circuit 61 is shown. In this embodiment, the actuation coil circuit 51 and the coupling coil circuit 61 overlap each other in the stator Z-direction.

[0119] like Figure 1B As shown, the actuation coil circuit 51 includes multiple layers (in Figure 1B In the embodiment of the present invention, there are four layers of coil circuits (51a, 51b, 51c and 51d). Figure 1C One non-limiting example of a layer 51a comprising a plurality of Y-oriented coil traces 53a, each coil trace 53a having a width 52a is shown. Figure 1D A non-limiting example of a layer 51b comprising a plurality of X-oriented coil traces 53b is shown, each coil trace 53b having a width 52b. Figure 1B In the non-limiting example shown, the coupled coil circuit 61 includes two layers of coil circuits 61a and 61b. In general, the coupled coil circuit 61 includes one or more layers. Figure 1E A non-limiting example of trace layers 61a and 61b is shown. The traces in different trace layers 61a and 61b are connected in series or in parallel through vias (not shown) to increase the magnetic coupling with the second MRU 20. One possible way to manufacture the coupled coil circuit 61 is to use printed circuit board manufacturing technology. Figure 1B Two layers of coil wires 61a and 61b are shown in FIG. 6 , but this is not necessary. Generally, the coupled coil circuit 61 may include one or more layers of coil wires, and each layer may include one or more turns of the coil wire (circuit).

[0120] It should be noted that the actuation coil circuit 51 and the coupling coil circuit 61 are significantly different from each other in geometric structure. In some embodiments, the width 62 of the coil wire track in the coupling coil circuit 61 is significantly smaller than the width 52 of the coil wire track in the actuation coil circuit 51. In some embodiments, the shape of the coil wire track in the coupling coil circuit 61 is significantly different from the shape of the coil wire track in the actuation coil circuit 51. For example, the wire track (circuit) in the coupling coil circuit 61 can be square, circular, triangular, rectangular or polygonal; the wire track in the actuation coil circuit 51 can be linear and elongated. One reason for the different geometric structures is that the two sets of coil wire tracks in the actuation coil circuit 51 and the coupling coil circuit 61 are used to carry currents with significantly different frequencies and amplitudes.

[0121] Figure 2 FIG. 1 shows a schematic top view of a mover 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The mover 100 includes a first MRU 10 and four second MRUs 20A, 20B, 20C, and 20D. Figure 2 Four second MRUs 20 are shown in the figure, but this is not necessary. In some embodiments, the mover 100 may include one second MRU 20; in some embodiments, the mover 100 may include two second MRUs 20. Generally, the mover 100 may include one or more second MRUs 20. Figure 1A and Figure 2 The second MRU 20 is shown as being located at the periphery of the first MRU 10, but this is not required. In some embodiments, there may be a magnet-free space at the center of the coverage area of ​​the first MRU 10 relative to the stator working surface 3, wherein there are no magnets; the second MRU 20 may be located in such a magnet-free space, as discussed below.

[0122] Figure 3A non-limiting example of a second MRU 20 is shown, which includes an induction coil 22, a magnetic field enhancement core (or magnetic core) 21 made of a material with high magnetic permeability, and a processing unit 23. The processing unit 23 may include one or more capacitors, so that the one or more capacitors form a resonant circuit with the induction coil 22, and the resonant frequency of the resonant circuit is tuned to coincide with the frequency of the excitation current in the coupling coil circuit 61, so as to efficiently transmit power or information from the stator 200 to the mover 100. In some embodiments, the processing unit 23 may additionally include one or more modulation circuits and one or more information storage components. The modulation circuit allows information stored in the information storage component to be transmitted from the mover 100 to the stator 200. During the information and / or power transmission between the second MRU 20 and the coupling coil assembly 60, the magnetic core 21 is used to guide and enhance the magnetic flux surrounded by the induction coil 22. The axial direction 25 of the magnetic core is the orientation of the magnetic core, and is also the direction of winding the induction coil 22 based on the right-hand rule. The magnetic flux is guided along the axial direction within the magnetic core 21. Although the axial direction 25 of the magnetic core is an arrow pointing to the left, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the actual AC magnetic flux may be in the direction 25 or opposite to the direction 25. Therefore, the axial direction 25 of the magnetic core is referred to as the magnetic flux generation axial direction of the second MRU. It should be noted that when the magnetic flux generated by the coupling coil assembly 60 is aligned with the magnetic flux generation axial direction of the second MRU, the magnetic flux generated by the stator coupling coil assembly 60 can achieve the best coupling with the induction coil 22. Therefore, the axial direction 25 is the preferred direction for flux generation of the second MRU and detection of the flux by the coupling coil circuit 61. Generally, it is preferred that the magnetic flux generated by the first MRU 10 does not saturate the magnetic core 21 of the second MRU 20 in the axial direction; otherwise, the coupling effect between the second MRU 20 and the stator coupling coil assembly 60 (and the power transmission and information transmission caused thereby) will be weakened because if the magnetic core 21 is saturated or close to saturation in its axial direction, the effective magnetic permeability of the magnetic core will be significantly reduced.

[0123] Figure 4A A non-limiting example of a coupled coil circuit 61 is shown: the coil circuit comprises a plurality of turns of coils arranged in a plane whose normal direction is the Z direction. Figure 4B Another non-limiting example of a coupled coil circuit 61 is shown: the coil circuit comprises a plurality of turns of coils arranged in a plane whose normal direction is the Y direction. Figure 4C The effective stator coupling coil area 63 is shown relative to the coupling coil circuit 61 .

[0124] Figure 5Another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. In this embodiment, the stator 200 includes a plurality of coupled coil assemblies 60 and two movers: 100A and 100B. The movers 100A and 100B can be driven to two separate positions using the controller 70, so that the second MRU of the mover 100A interacts with the stator coupled coil assembly 60A, and the second MRU of the mover 100B interacts with the stator coupled coil assembly 60B. Therefore, data can be received from the second MRUs of the movers 100A and 100B at the same time.

[0125] In some embodiments, the coupling between the coupling coil circuit 61 and the second MRU 20 is used to detect the presence or absence of the second MRU 20 above the coupling coil assembly 60. The inductance of the coupling coil assembly 60 may be significantly different in the case where the second MRU 20 is located above the coupling coil assembly 60 and in the case where the second MRU 20 is not located above the coupling coil assembly 60. This feature may be used to detect the presence and / or orientation of the mover 100, as described below in conjunction with FIG. 7 .

[0126] In some embodiments, when the effective stator coupling coil area 63 and the second MRU 20 overlap each other in the stator Z direction, the stator coupling coil assembly 60 can transmit power / energy to the second MRU 20. Using the energy received from the stator coupling coil assembly 60, the second MRU 20 can transmit its stored information to the coupling coil assembly 60 by exciting its induction coil 22 with the information-carrying AC current 24 to generate a magnetic flux coupled to the coupling coil circuit 61, and the coupled magnetic flux induces a voltage on the coupling coil circuit 61. In some embodiments, each second MRU 20 can store unique identification information, so that the coupling coil assembly 60 can not only detect whether the second MRU 20 is within its effective stator coupling coil area 63 (in other words, the second MRU 20 and the effective stator coupling coil area 63 overlap in the Z direction), but also accurately detect which second MRU 20 is within its effective stator coupling coil area 63.

[0127] In some embodiments, each mover 100 can only rotate around Rz within a small angle range, such as less than ±15 degrees. However, there may be multiple possible Rz orientation ranges, including but not limited to 0±15 degrees, 90±15 degrees, 180±15 degrees, and 270±15 degrees. In order to determine the absolute Rz orientation (e.g., distinguish which Rz orientation range the mover 100 is actually in), the following is combined with Figures 6A-6D Describe a method. Figures 6A-6DAn embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. A mover 100 includes four second magnetic response units 20A, 20B, 20C and 20D. Each of the four second MRUs 20 stores unique identification information related to the mover 100. When the mover center 101 is located at a certain position (x0, y0), one of the second MRUs 20 overlaps with the effective stator coupling coil area 63 in the Z direction. By detecting the specific second MRU 20 above the effective stator coupling coil area 63, the system controller 70 can determine which orientation of the four possible orientations the mover 100 is located in ( Figures 6A to 6D ).

[0128] exist Figures 6A-6D In , the asterisk indicates the absolute Rz orientation of the mover. Fig. 6A When the mover center 101 moves to (x0, y0), the second MRU 20A overlaps the effective stator coupling coil area 63, and the unique information stored in the second MRU 20A can be transmitted to the coupling coil assembly 60, so that the controller 70 can detect the Rz absolute orientation of the mover. Figure 6B Another possible orientation of the mover 100 is shown, where the star is in the positive Y direction relative to the mover center 101. When the mover center 101 moves to (x0, y0), the second MRU 20D overlaps the effective stator coupling coil area 63, and the unique information stored in the second MRU 20D can be transmitted to the coupling coil assembly 60, so that the controller 70 can detect the Rz orientation of the mover. By reading the unique information from the second MRU 20 overlapping the effective stator coupling coil area 63, two other possible orientations ( Figure 6C and 6D ). It should be noted that the four second MRUs 20 should be arranged so that when the mover center 101 is at a determined position (x0, y0) (also referred to as a sensing position), there is always at least one second MRU 20 overlapping the coupling coil assembly 60 in the Z direction. Although the term "motor center" 101 is used in the above description, any appropriate reference point 101 on the mover 100 may generally be used.

[0129] Generally, the testing procedure can be summarized in the following steps:

[0130] (1) The mover center 101 (or the reference point 101 on the mover 100 ) is placed at a specific stator position ( x0 , y0 ) so that one of the plurality of second MRUs 20 overlaps with the effective stator coupling coil area 63 .

[0131] (2) Read the unique information stored in the overlapping second MRU 20.

[0132] (3) Determine the orientation of the mover 100.

[0133] Fig. 7A and 7B Another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Fig. 7A As shown, the mover 100 includes a second MRU 20. However, when the mover 100 is placed on the stator 200, it may be in Fig. 7A In order to determine the absolute Rz orientation of the mover 100, the mover 100 can be driven so that its reference point 101 (for example, but not limited to its center) is moved to one of the four possible Rz orientations (a), (b), (c) and (d) in turn. The Rz angle range is very small, for example, ±10 or ±15 degrees. Figure 7B The distance d between the second MRU 20 and the reference point 101 is equal to the distance d between the center of the effective stator coupling coil area 63 and any one of the four determined positions. Therefore, when the reference point 101 is located at one of the four determined positions, the second MRU 20 overlaps the effective stator coupling coil area 63 in the Z direction. Accordingly, the Rz orientation of the mover 100 can be derived. For example, if the Rz orientation of the mover is Fig. 7A In the case of (b) shown in FIG. 1 , when the reference point 101 is at (XD, YD), the coupling coil assembly 60 will detect the presence of the second MRU 20, but when the reference point 101 is at any of the other three determined positions, the presence of the second MRU 20 will not be detected. As described above, although the mover center 101 is used as a reference point for defining the mover position in the XY plane, this is not necessary. The reference point can be any other point on the mover 100. In addition, before identifying the second MRU 20, it is not necessary to drive the mover 100 to all four determined positions; the second MRU 20 can be detected before the mover 100 is driven to all four determined positions.

[0134] Figure 8 Another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The mover 100 includes a second MRU 20; the stator 200 includes four stator coupling coil assemblies 60A, 60B, 60C, 60D, and these stator coupling coil assemblies have respective effective stator coupling coil areas 63A, 63B, 63C, 63D. When the reference point 101 is located at a certain position (x0, y0), the second MRU 20 overlaps with one of the four effective stator coupling coil areas 63A, 63B, 63C, 63D. Therefore, regardless of the position of the mover 100, Fig. 7A The absolute Rz orientation can be detected regardless of the Rz orientation range. Figure 8As shown, the effective static coupling coil area 63A overlaps the second MRU 20 in the Z direction, and thus can detect the presence of the second MRU 20. However, none of the other three coupling coil assemblies 60B, 60C, 60D can detect the presence of the second MRU 20. Depending on which coupling coil assembly can detect the second MRU 20, the absolute Rz orientation range of the mover 100 can be determined.

[0135] Fig. 9A and 9B Another non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The first MRU includes a plurality of magnet arrays (for Fig. 9A The exemplary embodiment in FIG. 1 includes four magnet arrays 12A, 12B, 12C, and 12D. Each magnet array includes a plurality of magnetized segments 14 ( Fig. 9A In the embodiment, each magnet array has four magnetized segments 14). For example, the magnet array 12A includes four magnetized segments 14A. Fig. 9B As shown, each of the magnetized segments 14AA, 14AB, 14AC, 14AD is linearly elongated in the X direction, and each magnetized segment has a magnetization direction orthogonal to its extension direction in the X direction. Fig. 9A As shown, near the center of the first MRU magnet assembly in the X and Y directions, there is a magnet-free space 15. Due to the 90-degree symmetrical configuration of the magnet assembly (i.e., when the magnet assembly is rotated 90 degrees around the Z axis, there is no difference in the magnetic field generation of the first MRU), in the magnet-free space 15, the magnetic flux from the first MRU magnet assembly is in the +Z or -Z direction. In some embodiments, the second MRU 20 may be located in the magnet-free space 15, and the flux generation axis of the second MRU is preferably arranged perpendicular to the Z direction. As a result, the magnetic flux from the permanent magnet of the first MRU will not saturate the magnetic core 21 of the second MRU 20 in the magnetic flux generation axis, so the interference of the first MRU with the bidirectional transmission of information and / or power between the second MRU and the stator coupling coil assembly 60 is minimized.

[0136] In some embodiments, the second MRU 20 is arranged such that the axial dimension center 26 of the magnetic core of the second MRU (at Figure 3 It may be advantageous that the center 16 of the magnet-free space 15 (shown in FIG. 1 ) does not coincide with the center 16 of the magnet-free space 15, so that the offset between them in the X and / or Y direction can be used to detect the absolute Rz orientation of the mover 100 (for example, in which of the four possible Rz orientations the mover 100 is).

[0137] like Fig. 10AAs shown, the second MRU 20 is arranged beside the magnet array 12B of the first MRU to minimize the effect of leakage flux from the magnet array 12B on the function of the second MRU 20. The flux generating axis 25 of the second MRU is substantially parallel to the extension direction of its adjacent magnetized segment 14BA. Fig. 10B As shown, the magnetization direction of each magnetized segment 14B in 12B is orthogonal to its extension direction (i.e., the Y direction); when the flux generation axis 25 of the second MRU is substantially parallel to the Y direction, the leakage flux from the magnet array penetrates into the magnetic core 21 in a direction perpendicular to the flux generation axis 25 of the second MRU, which minimizes the possibility that the leakage flux saturates the magnetic core 21 in the flux generation axis 25 of the second MRU. As a result, the impact on the flux generation of the second MRU 20 is minimized. Generally, in some embodiments, the flux generation axis 25 of the second MRU is substantially parallel to the extension direction of the magnetized segment of the first MRU adjacent thereto, wherein the magnetized segment has a magnetization direction orthogonal to its extension direction.

[0138] Since the magnet array 12B has a limited extension in the Y direction, the Y component of the leakage field from the magnet array 12B in the Y direction is strongest near the two ends of the magnet array 12B, and is weakest near the plane extending in the X and Z directions and passing through the Y-dimensional center of the magnetized segment 12B. In some embodiments, the first MRU 10 and the second MRU 20 are preferably arranged so that the axial dimension center 26 of the second MRU core is sufficiently close to or coincides with the plane extending in the X and Z directions and passing through the Y-dimensional center of the magnetized segment 12B adjacent to the second MRU core, or so that the axial dimension center 26 of the second MRU core is sufficiently far from the two ends of the magnet array 12B in the Y direction, so that the leakage field from the magnet array has the smallest axial (Y-direction) component. Being far enough from the two ends of the magnet array 12B can be interpreted as the Y distance between the axial dimension center 26 of the core and the end of the magnet array 12B is greater than about 1 / 3 of the Y dimension of the magnet array 12B. In some embodiments, sufficiently far may be interpreted to mean that the distance separating either end of the magnet array 12B from the axial dimension center 26 of the core is greater than the length of the second MRU core.

[0139] Fig.11A specific embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The stator 200 includes a sensor 80 that is significantly larger than the stator coupled coil assembly 60 in the XY plane. During operation of the robotic system 900, the mover 100 is identified according to any method described herein, such as by moving the mover 100 so that its second MRU 20 overlaps the effective stator coil area 63 in the Z direction, and information from the second MRU 20 is transmitted to the controller 70 through the interaction between the second MRU 20 and the stator coupled coil assembly 60, and the information is used to identify the mover 100 and optionally determine the absolute orientation of the mover 100. After the information is transmitted, the controller 70 continuously tracks the position of the first MRU 10 of the mover 100 by using the sensor 80, so that the identity of the mover 100 is always known, even when the second MRU 20 of the mover 100 is not located above the effective stator coil area 63. In this embodiment, the identification of the mover 100 only needs to be performed once through the interaction between the second MRU 20 and the stator coupled coil assembly 60.

[0140] like Fig.12 As shown, in some embodiments, in order to achieve the strongest coupling between the second MRU 20 and the stator coupling coil assembly 60, it may be advantageous to control the Z-direction spacing 4 between the mover 100 and the working surface 3. In a specific embodiment, the Z-direction spacing 4 is substantially minimum (e.g., approximately 0 mm) so that the mover 100 is considered to be in contact with the working surface 3. In some embodiments, the Z-direction spacing 4 is greater than 0 so that the mover 100 is suspended above the working surface 3. One reason for having different optimal Z-direction spacings is because different materials (e.g., materials forming the working surface 3) may exist between the second MRU 20 and the stator coupling coil assembly 60, and this may affect the coupling between the second MRU 20 and the stator coupling coil assembly 60 in different ways.

[0141] like Fig.13 As shown, the controller 70 can be used to deliver the current 54 to the actuation coil assembly 50, and to deliver one or more currents 64 to the stator coupling coil assembly 60. In some embodiments, when performing mover identification through the coupling between the stator coupling coil assembly 60 and the second MRU 20, it may be advantageous to cut off the current 54. This can minimize the interference caused by the current 54 in the stator coupling coil assembly 60, so that the coupling between the second MRU 20 and the stator coupling coil assembly 60 can be maximized. Similarly, when driving the current 54 into the stator actuation coil assembly 50, it may be advantageous to turn off the current 64, which can minimize the interference caused by the current 64 on the stator actuation coil assembly 50, so that the mover 100 can move smoothly during operation.

[0142] Fig.14A , 14B , 14C and 14D show a specific embodiment in which the mover 100 has a rectangular footprint in the XY plane (e.g., in the plane of the stator working surface 3), and the second MRU 20 is located near one long side of the mover 100. In this arrangement, for all mover orientations, the second MRU 20 can be located within the effective stator coupling area 63. In contrast, if the second MRU 20 is located near one short side of the mover 100, then the second MRU 20 is unlikely to overlap the effective stator coupling area 63 if the mover 100 does not extend beyond the stator working surface 3.

[0143] In some embodiments, the stator coupling assembly 60 is arranged so that the XY center point of the stator coupling assembly 60 is roughly aligned with the XY center point of the stator 200 in the Z direction. This arrangement can accommodate different positions of the second MRU 20 on the mover 100, such as arranging the second MRU 20 at the edge of the mover 100 or arranging the second MRU 20 at the center of the mover 100. When the stator coupling assembly 60 is roughly located at the XY center of the stator 200, a strong coupling between the second MRU 20 and the stator coupling assembly 60 can be achieved without extending the mover 100 beyond the boundary of the stator 200.

[0144] In some embodiments, the second MRU 20 may be incorporated into the workpiece 300 carried by the mover 100 (eg, Fig.16A As shown in FIG. 1 ), no matter which mover 100 carries the workpiece 300, the workpiece 300 can be uniquely identified. In some embodiments, the mover 100 includes a magnet-free region 15, so that the second MRU 20 arranged in the workpiece 300 can overlap with the opening in the Z direction to facilitate the coupling between the second MRU 20 and the stator coupling assembly 60, as shown in FIG. Fig. 16B shown.

[0145] In some embodiments, the third MRU 30 is incorporated into the workpiece 300 carried by the mover 100, such as Fig.17As shown. The manner in which the third MRU 30 interacts with the second stator coupling coil assembly 65 is similar to the manner in which the second MRU 20 interacts with the stator coupling coil assembly 60 described above. However, the third MRU is not configured to interact with the stator coupling coil assembly 60, so that the second stator coupling coil assembly 65 can only interact with the third MRU 30 in the workpiece 300, but not with the second MRU 20 in the mover 100. For example, the second stator coupling coil assembly 65 and the third MRU 30 may be configured to interact using one or more frequencies that are different from the frequencies used by the stator coupling coil assembly 60 when interacting with the second MRU 20. The controller 70 may include a computer-readable medium storing computer program code, which may be configured to, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform any of the methods described herein. According to some embodiments, the computer program code, when read, may cause the one or more processors to perform the methods described herein in conjunction with. Fig.15 Method of description. Fig.15 A flow chart of a method for identifying a mover and determining an orientation of the mover is shown.

[0146] At box 110, the controller 70 activates the actuation coil assembly 50. For example, the controller 70 may cause current to flow through the actuation coil circuit 51. At box 112, by driving the actuation coil circuit 51, the controller is able to move the mover 100 above or on the work surface 3 through the interaction of the magnetic field generated by the actuation coil circuit 51 and the magnetic component of the mover 100. The mover 100 is moved to a sensing position, which may be a position where the second MRU 20 of the mover 20 overlaps the effective stator coupling area 63. At box 114, the controller 70 reads the identification information. For example, the controller 70 may drive the coupling coil circuit 61 to initiate data transmission from the second MRU 20 to the stator coupling assembly 60. Based on the identification information read by the controller 70, the controller 70 may identify the mover 100.

[0147] The controller 70 may additionally determine the orientation of the mover 100. Specifically, at box 116, the controller 70 determines whether the orientation of the mover 100 can be determined based on the identification information obtained at box 114. For example, the identification information may include information identifying the position of the second MRU 20 on the mover 100. If the orientation of the mover 100 can be determined from the identification information, the controller 70 determines the orientation of the mover 100 at box 118. If the orientation of the mover 100 cannot be determined from the identification information, the controller 70 adjusts the position of the mover 100 at box 120. For example, through appropriate driving action of the actuation coil circuit 51, the controller 70 may reposition the mover 100 in the X and / or Y direction so that another second MRU 20 of the mover 100 overlaps the effective stator coupling area 63. At box 122, the controller 70 reads the identification information. Specifically, the controller 70 drives the coupling coil circuit 61 to initiate data transmission from another second MRU 20 to the stator coupling assembly 60. At block 124, the controller 70 determines whether the orientation of the mover 100 can be determined based on the identification information of another second MRU 20. This process is repeated until the controller 70 can determine the orientation of the mover 100.

[0148] According to some embodiments, the system may include more than one stator, the stators being arranged adjacent to each other such that a mover moving over or on a surface of a first stator may move to an adjacent stator, and then the mover may move over or on the adjacent stator.

[0149] According to some embodiments, the system may include more than one stator, the stators being arranged adjacent to each other such that a mover moving over or on a surface of a first stator may move to an adjacent stator, and then the mover may move over or on the adjacent stator.

[0150] According to some embodiments, the stator coupling coil circuit may be sized such that for any given position of the mover on or over the work surface, at least a portion of the second MRU overlaps at least a portion of the stator coupling coil circuit.

[0151] Throughout the specification, it is understood that the mover may carry one or more parts, such as but not limited to multiple biological samples, devices, one or more drugs (possibly in appropriate containers), products being assembled, part blanks or materials, components, to meet the needs of the intended manufacturing purpose. Suitable tools and / or material supply mechanisms may be installed or distributed along the side of the stator or above the stator from above, although these are not shown to avoid obscuring the description.

[0152] Although various exemplary aspects and embodiments are discussed herein, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present disclosure encompasses any suitable modifications, substitutions, additions, and sub-combinations thereof. For example:

[0153] In this specification, although one or more parts are not shown on the mover in some cases, those skilled in the art should understand that each mover may carry one or more parts, components, containers, etc.

[0154] In this specification, elements (e.g., non-limiting examples are stator layers, coil tracks, motion platforms, and / or magnet arrays) are referred to as overlapping each other in a certain direction or along a certain direction. For example, when describing two or more objects overlapping in the z-direction or along the z-direction, such usage should be understood to mean that a line oriented along the z-direction can be drawn to intersect the two or more objects.

[0155] In some of the drawings and descriptions provided herein, movers may be shown as being static, with their mover-x, mover-y, and mover-z axes being the same as the stator-x, stator-y, and stator-z axes of the corresponding stator. This convention is adopted in this disclosure for the purposes of brevity and ease of explanation. Of course, it will be understood from this disclosure that a mover can (and may be designed to) move relative to its stator, in which case the mover of the motion platform

[0156] The stator-x, stator-y and stator-z axes may no longer be identical (or aligned) with the stator-x, stator-y and stator-z axes of its stator. Directions, positions and planes defined relative to the stator axis may generally be referred to as stator directions, stator positions and stator planes. Directions, positions and planes defined relative to the stator axis may be referred to as stator directions, stator positions and stator planes.

[0157] In this specification, the expression of controlling the motion platform, controlling the motion of the motion platform and / or controlling the position of the motion platform on multiple (e.g., 6) degrees of freedom or with multiple degrees of freedom is used. Unless otherwise clearly indicated in the context or description, controlling the motion platform, controlling the motion of the motion platform and / or controlling the position of the motion platform on multiple degrees of freedom or with multiple degrees of freedom can be understood as applying feedback position on multiple degrees of freedom.

[0158] The invention provides controllable force on the magnet array, but does not explicitly require the movement of the mover in any such degree of freedom. In this specification, a controllable force on the magnet array means that by driving a properly commutated current through a set of properly selected coils in the stator, a force with a desired amplitude can be generated in a direction through the plane. Multiple independently controllable forces means that each of the multiple forces can be generated independently of the other forces in accordance with the command signal, and any two of the multiple forces are not spatially colinear.

[0159] In this specification, two-plane degrees of freedom motion may refer to independent translational motion along two non-parallel directions X and Y, both of which are orthogonal to the direction Z perpendicular to the top surface of the stator.

[0160] In this specification, the three-degree-of-freedom motion in three planes may refer to independent translational motion along two non-parallel directions X and Y plus rotational motion around the Z direction, where Z

[0161] The direction is perpendicular to the top surface of the stator, and the X and Y directions are both perpendicular to the Z direction. In this specification, the 6 degrees of freedom movement refers to independent translation / rotational movement along the X, Y and Z directions and the Rx, Ry and Rz directions, where X and Y are not parallel, X, Y and Z are not coplanar, and the Rx, Ry and Rz directions represent the rotation directions around X, Y and Z, respectively.

[0162] In this specification, although many drawings show a single mover, it should be understood that

[0163] Multiple similar or different movers can work together and share a common stator.

[0164] When used in conjunction with the terms "including" or "comprising" in the claims and / or the specification, the word "a" or "an" may mean "one", but also have the meaning of "one or more", "at least one" and "one or more", unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Similarly, the word "another" may mean at least a second or more, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0165] As used herein, the terms "coupled" or "connected" may have a variety of different meanings, depending on the context in which the terms are used. For example, the terms coupled or connected may have mechanical or electrical meanings. For example, as used herein, the terms coupled or connected may represent that two elements or devices are directly connected to each other, or are connected to each other via electrical elements, electrical signals, or mechanical elements through one or more intermediate elements or devices, depending on the specific context. When used in conjunction with a series of items in this article, the term "and / or" refers to any one or more items that constitute the series.

[0166] As used herein, the terms "about" or "approximately" a certain number or "substantially" equal to a certain number means within ±10% of the number.

[0167] Although the present disclosure is described in conjunction with specific embodiments, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments and that those skilled in the art may make changes, modifications and variations to these embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0168] Additionally, it is also contemplated that any portion of any aspect or embodiment discussed in this specification may be implemented or combined with any portion of any other aspect or embodiment discussed in this specification.

Claims

1. A system comprising: at least one magnetic mover, including a first magnetic mover, wherein the first magnetic mover includes at least one first magnetic response unit and at least one second magnetic response unit; A stator defining a two-dimensional planar working surface and comprising: a plurality of stator coils including at least one stator coupling coil operable to interact with the at least one second magnetic-responsive unit; one or more sensors for sensing the position of the first magnetic mover; and one or more stator drive circuits for driving at least a portion of the stator coils to thereby move the first magnetic mover over the working surface, wherein the at least one first magnetic response unit is arranged so that the interaction of one or more magnetic fields emitted by the at least one first magnetic response unit with one or more magnetic fields generated by at least a portion of the stator coils when driven by the one or more stator drive circuits enables the first magnetic mover to move with at least two degrees of freedom, wherein the at least one stator coupling coil is capable of magnetically coupling the at least one second magnetic response unit for wirelessly transmitting identification information from the at least one second magnetic response unit to the at least one stator coupling coil, And wherein the working surface separates the first magnetic mover from the at least one stator coupling coil.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein: The stator is capable of wirelessly transmitting energy from the stator to the first magnetic mover, and wherein the transmitted energy is used to facilitate wireless transmission of identification information from the second magnetic-responsive unit to at least one stator coupling coil.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein: The one or more stator drive circuits are further configured to drive current through at least the stator coupling coil to transfer energy to the second magnetic-responsive unit.

4. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The plurality of stator coils include: An actuation coil assembly includes a plurality of actuation coils having at least a portion of a stator coil.

5. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The working surface separates the first magnetic mover from a plurality of stator coils.

6. The system of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The working surface extends in an xy plane, and wherein the at least two degrees of freedom include orthogonal x-axis and y-axis degrees of freedom.

7. The system of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The at least one second magnetic response unit includes at least one mover induction coil.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein: The one or more stator drive circuits include one or more coupling coil drive circuits for driving the at least one stator coupling coil so that the at least one stator coupling coil can be magnetically coupled to the at least one mover induction coil of the at least one second magnetic response unit.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein: One or more of a shape and a geometry of the at least one stator coupling coil is different from a corresponding one or more of a shape and a geometry of the plurality of actuation coils.

10. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The one or more stator drive circuits are operable to drive the at least a portion of the stator coils at one or more frequencies different from that used to operate the at least one stator coupling coil to reduce interference between the at least a portion of the stator coils and the at least one stator coupling coil.

11. The system of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The at least two degrees of freedom include orthogonal x-, y-, and z-axis degrees of freedom, and corresponding rotational degrees of freedom about the x-, y-, and z-axes.

12. The system of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The at least one second magnetic-responsive unit includes a plurality of second magnetic-responsive units.

13. The system of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: Also included is a controller communicatively coupled to the one or more sensors and operable to perform a method comprising: activating the one or more stator drive circuits to drive the at least a portion of the stator coils to move the first magnetic mover across the working surface to a sensing position associated with a stator coupling coil of the at least one stator coupling coil; activating the stator coupling coil to achieve interaction between the stator coupling coil and at least one second magnetic response unit; and After activating the stator coupling coil, the first magnetic mover is identified based on identification information transmitted from at least one second magnetic response unit to the stator coupling coil.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein: The method further comprises determining an orientation of the first magnetic mover based on the transmitted identification information, wherein the orientation is an Rz orientation range.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein: The sensing position includes a position sufficiently close to the stator coupling coil so that at least one orientation of the first magnetic mover allows data to be transferred between the at least one second magnetic-responsive unit and the stator coupling coil.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein: Activating the stator coupling coil to enable interaction between the stator coupling coil and at least one second magnetic response unit includes: Activate the stator coupling coil; then determining whether identification information has been transmitted from the at least one second magnetic-responsive unit to the stator coupling coil; and If negative, the position of the first magnetic mover is adjusted.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein: Adjusting the position of the first magnetic mover includes translating the first magnetic mover to a new sensing position associated with the stator coupling coil.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein: The method further includes determining an orientation of the first magnetic mover based on the identification information transmitted from the at least one second magnetic-responsive unit to the stator coupling coil and based on the adjusted position of the first magnetic mover.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein: The at least one second magnetic response unit comprises a plurality of second magnetic response units, each second magnetic response unit is associated with unique identification information for the first magnetic mover, and wherein the method further comprises: The orientation of the first magnetic mover is determined based on identification information transmitted from at least one second magnetic-responsive unit among the plurality of second magnetic-responsive units to the stator coupling coil.

20. The system of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The at least one stator coupling coil includes a plurality of stator coupling coils, and wherein the at least one second magnetic response unit includes a plurality of second magnetic response units, the plurality of second magnetic response units being arranged such that when the first magnetic mover is in a sensing position associated with a stator coupling coil among the plurality of stator coupling coils, at least one second magnetic response unit among the plurality of second magnetic response units is sufficiently close to the stator coupling coil, thereby allowing data to be transmitted between the at least one second magnetic response unit and the stator coupling coil.

21. The system of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The at least one stator coupling coil includes a plurality of stator coupling coils, and the plurality of stator coupling coils are arranged so that when the first magnetic mover is in a sensing position associated with a stator coupling coil among the plurality of stator coupling coils, the at least one second magnetic response unit is sufficiently close to the stator coupling coil to allow data to be transmitted between the at least one second magnetic response unit and the stator coupling coil.

22. The system of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The at least one second magnetic response unit is associated with identification information that uniquely identifies the first magnetic mover.

23. The system of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The center of the at least one second magnetic-responsive unit is offset from the center of the at least one first magnetic-responsive unit of the first magnetic mover.

24. The system of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The at least one stator coupling coil is sized such that for at least one position of the first magnetic mover on or over the working surface, at least a portion of the at least one second magnetic-responsive unit overlaps at least a portion of the at least one stator coupling coil.

25. The system of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The at least one first magnetic-responsive unit comprises a plurality of magnet arrays, each magnet array comprising a plurality of linearly elongated magnetized segments defining an extension direction, and wherein an axial direction of a magnetic core of the at least one second magnetic-responsive unit is aligned with the extension direction defined by the linearly elongated magnetized segments closest to the at least one second magnetic-responsive unit.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein: Each magnetized segment has a magnetization direction, wherein the axial direction of the magnetic core of the at least one second magnetic response unit is orthogonal to the magnetization direction of the magnetized segment closest to the magnetic core.

27. The system of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The at least one second magnetically responsive unit comprises a magnetic core, wherein the at least one first magnetically responsive unit comprises a plurality of magnet arrays, the magnet arrays comprising a plurality of linear elongated magnetized segments, wherein the linear elongated magnetized segments closest to the at least one second magnetically responsive unit have a first end and a second end, and have one or more of the following features: A separation distance between the first end and the center of the magnetic core in the axial direction of the magnetic core is greater than a length of the magnetic core; and A separation distance between the second end and the center of the magnetic core in the axial direction of the magnetic core is greater than a length of the magnetic core.

28. The system of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The at least one second magnetically responsive unit comprises a magnetic core, wherein the at least one first magnetically responsive unit comprises a plurality of magnet arrays, the magnet arrays comprising a plurality of linear elongated magnetized segments, wherein the linear elongated magnetized segments closest to the at least one second magnetically responsive unit have a first end and a second end, and have one or more of the following features: In the axial direction of the magnetic core, a separation distance between the first end and the center of the magnetic core is greater than about 1 / 3 of a separation distance between the first end and the second end; and In the axial direction of the magnetic core, a separation distance between the second end and the center of the magnetic core is greater than about 1 / 3 of a separation distance between the first end and the second end.

29. The system of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The first magnetic mover comprises a magnetic robotic device carrying a workpiece, and wherein the at least one second magnetically responsive unit is comprised in the workpiece.

30. The system of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The one or more magnetic components include a plurality of magnet arrays surrounding the at least one second magnetic-responsive unit.

31. The system of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The at least one second magnetic response unit includes an induction coil wound on a magnetic core.

32. The system of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The at least one second magnetic response unit includes a storage component storing identification information identifying the first magnetic mover.

33. A method comprising: A system is provided, comprising: at least one magnetic mover, including a first magnetic mover, wherein the first magnetic mover includes at least one first magnetic response unit and at least one second magnetic response unit; A stator, the stator defining a two-dimensional planar working surface, the stator comprising: a plurality of stator coils, including at least one stator coupling coil operable to interact with the at least one second magnetic-responsive unit; and one or more stator drive circuits for driving at least a portion of the stator coils; transmitting identification information from the at least one second magnetic-responsive unit to the at least one stator coupling coil by magnetically coupling the at least one second magnetic-responsive unit to the at least one stator coupling coil; and identifying the first magnetic mover based on the identification information, wherein the at least one first magnetic response unit is arranged so that the interaction of one or more magnetic fields emitted by the at least one first magnetic response unit and one or more magnetic fields generated by the stator coil when driven by the one or more stator drive circuits enables the first magnetic mover to move with at least two degrees of freedom, And wherein the working surface separates the first magnetic mover from the at least one stator coupling coil.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising wirelessly transmitting energy from the stator to the first magnetic mover, wherein: The transmitted energy is used to facilitate wireless transmission of identification information from the second magnetic-responsive unit to the at least one stator coupling coil.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising transferring energy from the at least one stator coupling coil to the second magnetic-responsive unit.

36. The method of any one of claims 33 to 35, wherein: The plurality of stator coils include: An actuation coil assembly includes a plurality of actuation coils having at least a portion of a stator coil.

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