Coreless linear motor, drive unit

Abstract

To provide a coreless linear motor and the like capable of reducing the possibility of a mover failing off a track.SOLUTION: In a coreless linear motor 4 in which permanent magnets 3N and 3S are provided on one side of a movable element 3 and a stator 2, which are relatively movable in a driving direction (X-axis direction) along a rail, and a coil 41 is provided on the other side, a soft magnetic member 42 that generates magnetic attraction between the permanent magnets 3N and 3S is provided on the back surface opposite to the opposite surface where the coil 41 faces the permanent magnets 3N and 3S. An insulating layer 43 is provided between the back surface of the coil 41 and the soft magnetic member 42. In the opposite direction (Z-axis direction) of the coil 41 and the permanent magnets 3N and 3S and a non-driving direction (Y-axis direction) perpendicular to the driving direction (X-axis direction), the widths of the permanent magnets 3N and 3S and the soft magnetic member 42 are larger than the width of the coil 41.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a coreless linear motor and the like.

Background Art

[0002] As a linear motor in which a permanent magnet is provided on one of a movable element and a stator that are relatively movable, and an electromagnet is provided on the other, a coreless linear motor as disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. In a coreless linear motor, a core such as an iron core is not provided in the electromagnet, and a coil is not wound around the core. Since there is no loss due to the core such as iron loss, and there is no cogging due to the attraction between the core and the permanent magnet that were intermittently arranged along the track direction or the driving direction, high efficiency and smooth driving are realized.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] On the other hand, the core also functioned to prevent the movable element from falling off the stator (track) due to the magnetic attraction between the core and the permanent magnet. Therefore, in a coreless linear motor without a core, for example, when the movable element moves along a curved portion of the track, the possibility of the movable element falling off the stator (track) increases due to centrifugal force and gravity applied.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object thereof is to provide a coreless linear motor or the like that can reduce the possibility of the movable element falling off the track.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, a coreless linear motor according to one aspect of the present invention is a coreless linear motor in which a permanent magnet is provided on one of a movable element and a stator that can move relative to each other in the driving direction along a track, and a coil is provided on the other, wherein a soft magnetic member that generates a magnetic attraction between the coil and the permanent magnet is provided on the back surface opposite to the opposing surface of the coil that faces the permanent magnet.

[0007] In this embodiment, a soft magnetic member that generates a magnetic attraction between the movable element and a permanent magnet provided on one of the stator (track) is provided on the back of a coil provided on the other of the movable element and stator (track), thereby reducing the possibility of the movable element falling off the stator (track).

[0008] Another aspect of the present invention is a coreless linear motor. In this coreless linear motor, a permanent magnet is provided on one of a movable element and a stator that can move relative to each other in the driving direction along a track, and a coil is provided on the other, and a soft magnetic member that generates a magnetic attractive force with the permanent magnet is provided on both sides of the coil in the non-driving direction perpendicular to the driving direction so as to face the permanent magnet.

[0009] In this embodiment, the soft magnetic member that generates a magnetic attraction between the movable element and a permanent magnet provided on one of the stator (track) is provided on both sides of a coil provided on the other of the movable element and stator (track) so as to face the permanent magnet, thereby reducing the possibility of the movable element falling off the stator (track).

[0010] A further aspect of the present invention is a drive device. This device comprises a track including a curved section, a stator provided on the track, a movable element that can move in the driving direction along the track, a coreless linear motor having a permanent magnet on one of the movable element and the stator and a coil on the other, and a soft magnetic member on the back surface opposite to the surface of the coil facing the permanent magnet that generates a magnetic attraction between the coil and the permanent magnet.

[0011] Yet another aspect of the present invention is a drive device. This device comprises a track including a curved section, a stator provided on the track, a movable element that can move in the driving direction along the track, a coreless linear motor in which a permanent magnet is provided on one of the movable element and the stator and a coil is provided on the other, and soft magnetic members provided on both sides of the coil in the non-driving direction perpendicular to the driving direction so as to face the permanent magnet and generate a magnetic attraction between themselves and the permanent magnet.

[0012] Furthermore, any combination of the above components, as well as methods, apparatus, systems, recording media, computer programs, etc., derived from these representations, are also included in the present invention. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, the possibility of the movable element falling off the track in a coreless linear motor or the like can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing the overall structure of the linear transport system. [Figure 2] This is a schematic perspective view showing a coreless linear motor according to the first embodiment, which consists of a stator and a movable element. [Figure 3] This is a cross-sectional view of the coreless linear motor according to the first embodiment, showing the ZX cross-section. [Figure 4] This is a schematic perspective view showing a coreless linear motor according to a second embodiment, which consists of a stator and a movable element. [Figure 5] This is a schematic perspective view showing a coreless linear motor according to a third embodiment, which consists of a stator and a movable element. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] The following describes in detail embodiments (hereinafter also referred to as "models") for carrying out the present invention, with reference to the drawings. In the description and / or drawings, identical or equivalent components, members, processes, etc., are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted. The scale and shape of each part shown in the drawings are set for convenience to simplify the description and are not to be interpreted restrictively unless otherwise specified. The embodiments are illustrative and do not limit the scope of the present invention in any way. Not all features or combinations thereof described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the present invention.

[0016] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a linear transport system 1, which is one embodiment of the drive device according to the present invention. The linear transport system 1 comprises a stator 2 that constitutes an annular rail or track, and a plurality of movable elements 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D (hereinafter collectively referred to as movable elements 3) that are driven by the stator 2 and can move along the rail. An electromagnet or coil provided on the stator 2 and a permanent magnet provided on the movable elements 3 face each other, thereby forming a linear motor along the annular rail. The rail formed by the stator 2 is not limited to an annular shape and may be any shape. For example, the rail may be straight or curved, one rail may branch into multiple rails, or multiple rails may merge into one rail. Furthermore, the installation direction of the rail formed by the stator 2 is also arbitrary. In the example of Figure 1, the rail is arranged in a horizontal plane, but the rail may be arranged in a vertical plane, or in a plane or curved surface at any angle of inclination.

[0017] The stator 2 has a rail surface 21 whose normal direction is horizontal. The rail surface 21 extends in a strip shape along the direction in which the rail is formed, and when forming an annular rail as in the example in Figure 1, it becomes an endless strip with (virtual) ends connected. Multiple drive modules (not shown) equipped with electromagnets are embedded or arranged continuously or periodically along the rail surface 21, which can form rails of any shape. The electromagnets in the drive modules generate a magnetic field that exerts a propulsive force along the rail on the permanent magnet of the movable element 3 and / or the electromagnet itself. Specifically, when a drive current such as three-phase alternating current is passed through these numerous electromagnets, a moving magnetic field is generated that linearly drives the movable element 3, equipped with a permanent magnet, in a desired tangential direction along the rail. In the example in Figure 1, the normal direction of the rail surface 21 that forms an annular rail in the horizontal plane was horizontal, but the normal direction of the rail surface 21 may be vertical or any other direction.

[0018] In the stator 2, a positioning unit 22 provided on the upper or lower surface perpendicular to the rail surface 21 has a plurality of position detection units, which are magnetic sensors (not shown), embedded continuously or periodically. These sensors are capable of measuring the position of a magnetic scale (not shown) attached to the movable element 3 as a positioning target or positioning scale. A magnetic sensor that positions a magnetic scale formed by a striped magnetic pattern or magnetic scale at a constant pitch generally has multiple magnetic detection heads. By shifting the spacing between the multiple magnetic detection heads relative to the pitch or period of the magnetic pattern of the magnetic scale, the magnetic sensor can measure the position of the magnetic scale with high accuracy. In a typical magnetic sensor with two magnetic detection heads, for example, the spacing between the two magnetic detection heads is shifted by 1 / 4 pitch (the phase is shifted by 90 degrees) relative to the magnetic pattern of the magnetic scale. Alternatively, the magnetic sensor may be provided on the movable element 3 and the magnetic scale on the stator 2. Furthermore, the velocity of the movable element 3 can be detected by differentiating the position of the movable element 3 measured by the positioning unit 22 with respect to time, and the acceleration of the movable element 3 can be detected by differentiating that velocity with respect to time.

[0019] The position detection unit provided on the stator 2 and the positioning target or scale attached to the mover 3 are not limited to the magnetic type as described above, and may be an optical type or other types. In the case of the optical type, an optical scale formed by a stripe pattern or scale with a constant pitch is attached to the mover 3, and an optical sensor capable of optically reading the stripe pattern of the optical scale is provided on the stator 2. In the magnetic type and optical type, since the position detection unit measures the positioning target (magnetic scale or optical scale) in a non-contact manner, the risk of failure of the position detection unit when the conveyed object carried by the mover 3 scatters and enters the positioning location (the upper surface of the stator 2) can be reduced. However, in the optical type, if the optical scale is covered by the conveyed object such as liquid or powder that has entered the positioning location, the positioning accuracy will deteriorate. Therefore, if the conveyed object has negligible magnetism, it is preferable to use the magnetic type that does not deteriorate the positioning accuracy even if it enters the positioning location.

[0020] The mover 3 includes a mover body 31 facing the rail surface 21 of the stator 2, a measured portion 32 that projects horizontally from the upper part of the mover body 31 and faces the positioning portion 22 of the stator 2, and a conveying portion 33 that projects horizontally from the mover body 31 on the side opposite to the measured portion 32 (the side far from the stator 2) where the conveyed object is placed or fixed. The mover body 31 includes one or a plurality of permanent magnets (not shown in FIG. 1) facing a plurality of electromagnets embedded in the rail surface of the stator 2 along the rail. Since the moving magnetic field generated by the electromagnets of the stator 2 applies a linear driving force or propulsive force in the tangential direction of the rail to the permanent magnets and / or the electromagnets of the mover 3 itself, the mover 3 is linearly driven along the rail surface 21 with respect to the stator 2.

[0021] Note that the driving method in which the permanent magnet is provided on the mover 3 is also called the MM (Moving Magnet) type. In the MM type, since the electromagnet paired with the permanent magnet is provided on the stator 2, there is no need to connect wiring for flowing current to the coil of the electromagnet to the mover 3. Therefore, the movable range of the mover 3 is not restricted by the wiring. However, this embodiment is also applicable to the MC (Moving Coil) type, that is, the linear conveyance system 1 with a driving method in which an electromagnet or coil is provided on the mover 3, in the same manner as the MM type.

[0022] On the position measurement part 32 of the mover 3, a magnetic scale or an optical scale as a measurement object or a measurement scale is provided so as to face a position detection part (magnetic sensor or optical sensor) provided on the position measurement part 22 of the stator 2. In the example of FIG. 1 where the position detection part is provided on the upper surface of the stator 2, a measurement object such as a magnetic scale is attached to the lower surface of the position measurement part 32 of the mover 3. When the position measurement parts 22 and the position measurement part 32 are magnetic, in the stator 2, the rail surface 21 and the position measurement part 22 are formed on different surfaces or at separated locations so that the magnetic field between the electromagnet on the rail surface 21 and the permanent magnet of the mover main body 31 does not affect the magnetic position measurement of the position measurement parts 22 and the position measurement part 32. In the mover 3, it is preferable to form the mover main body 31 and the position measurement part 32 on different surfaces or at separated locations.

[0023] In FIG. 1, four movers 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D are illustrated. However, in the linear conveyance system 1 that conveys a large number of small conveyed objects, for example, it is also assumed that a number of movers 3 exceeding 1,000 are required.

[0024] FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing a coreless linear motor 4 according to a first embodiment constituted by a stator 2 and a mover 3. In the following description, directions are represented by the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis that are orthogonal to each other and form a three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system. The X-axis direction is the driving direction or the track direction along the rail, which is the moving direction of the mover 3 with respect to the stator 2. Hereinafter, the dimension in the X-axis direction is also referred to as "length". The Y-axis direction is a non-driving direction orthogonal to the X-axis direction (driving direction) within the rail surface 21 that is the surface of the stator 2. Hereinafter, the dimension in the Y-axis direction is also referred to as "width". The Z-axis direction is the normal direction of the rail surface 21, which is the facing direction in which the permanent magnets 3N, 3S provided on the mover 3 and the coil 41 provided on the stator 2 face each other. Hereinafter, the dimension in the Z-axis direction is also referred to as "thickness" or "height".

[0025] Furthermore, the surface facing upward in Figure 2, with the Z-axis direction as the normal direction, is also called the "top surface" or "front surface," and the surface facing downward in Figure 2, with the Z-axis direction as the normal direction, is also called the "bottom surface" or "back surface." In Figure 2, the permanent magnets 3N and 3S are attached to the bottom or back surface of the movable element 3, and the coil 41 in Figure 2 is attached to the top or front surface of the stator 2. In the example in Figure 1, the Z-axis direction, which is the normal direction of the rail surface 21, is horizontal, and the Y-axis direction is vertical. Therefore, gravity acts on the movable element 3 in the Y-axis direction (non-driving direction). Also, in the curved sections of the rail, centrifugal force acts on the movable element 3 in the Z-axis direction (opposing direction).

[0026] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the coreless linear motor 4 according to the first embodiment, taken along the ZX axis. Multiple permanent magnets 3N and 3S are attached to the lower surface of the movable element 3 along the driving direction (X axis direction). The lower surface of the permanent magnet 3N has a north pole, and the lower surface of the permanent magnet 3S has a south pole. The permanent magnets 3N and 3S are arranged alternately along the driving direction so that north and south poles appear alternately along the driving direction on the lower surface of the movable element 3. The length of each permanent magnet 3N and each permanent magnet 3S in the driving direction is approximately constant.

[0027] Three-phase coils 41U, 41V, and 41W, to which three-phase alternating current is applied, are mounted on the rail surface 21, which is the upper surface of the stator 2, along the drive direction (X-axis direction). U-phase current flows through the U-phase coil 41U, V-phase current flows through the V-phase coil 41V, and W-phase current flows through the W-phase coil 41W. Note that the overlines (upper lines) attached to "U," "V," and "W" in Figure 3 indicate that the direction of the current is opposite to that of "U," "V," and "W" without the overlines. For example, if a U-phase current flows from the front to the back of the page through the U-phase coil 41U of "U" without the overline, then a U-phase current flows from the back to the front of the page through the U-phase coil 41U of "U" with the overline.

[0028] The magnetic fields generated by the three-phase coils 41U, 41V, and 41W to which the three-phase alternating current is applied act on the permanent magnets 3N and 3S of the movable element 3, thereby generating a thrust force in the driving direction (X-axis direction) within the movable element 3. Although Figure 3 shows only one U-phase coil 41U, one V-phase coil 41V, and one W-phase coil 41W for convenience, on the actual rail surface 21, numerous sets of U-phase coils 41U, V-phase coils 41V, and W-phase coils 41W are arranged periodically along the driving direction (X-axis direction).

[0029] As described above, the three-phase coils 41U, 41V, and 41W function as electromagnets, but they do not have a core such as an iron core. In other words, the three-phase coils 41U, 41V, and 41W in the coreless linear motor 4 are coreless. In a linear motor with a core, there is a core around which each of the U-phase coil 41U, V-phase coil 41V, and W-phase coil 41W is wound, but in the coreless linear motor 4 shown in Figure 3, there is only air or similar material. Alternatively, a non-magnetic material such as resin or an insulating material may be filled in place of the core. In the coreless linear motor 4, there are no core-related losses such as iron loss, and cogging caused by the attraction between the core (not shown) and permanent magnets 3N and 3S, which were intermittently arranged along the driving direction (X-axis direction), is eliminated, resulting in high efficiency and smooth operation.

[0030] On the back surface (bottom surface) opposite to the facing surface (top surface) where the three-phase coils 41U, 41V, and 41W face the permanent magnets 3N, 3S, a soft magnetic member 42 is provided to generate a magnetic attraction between it and the permanent magnets 3N, 3S. The soft magnetic member 42 is formed from a soft magnetic material with high magnetic permeability, such as iron, carbon steel, silicon steel, permalloy, Sendust, Permendur, soft ferrite, amorphous magnetic alloy, or nanocrystal magnetic alloy. A magnetic attraction in the Z-axis direction is generated between the soft magnetic member 42 and the permanent magnets 3N, 3S, which face each other in the Z-axis direction with the three-phase coils 41U, 41V, and 41W (and the insulating layer 43 described later) in between. As a result, the possibility of the movable element 3, equipped with the permanent magnets 3N, 3S, falling off the stator 2 (rail) equipped with the soft magnetic member 42 due to centrifugal force (Z-axis direction) or gravity (Y-axis direction) is reduced.

[0031] Furthermore, the soft magnetic member 42 also functions to shape the magnetic fields generated by the permanent magnets 3N and 3S through magnetic interaction with them. In particular, the magnetic fields generated by the permanent magnets 3N (left end in Figure 3) and 3S (right end in Figure 3) located at both ends of the movable element 3 in the driving direction tend to bulge out on both sides in the driving direction (also known as the end effect), but the presence of the soft magnetic member 42 can suppress the bulging of the magnetic field from both ends. As a result, the driving efficiency and driving accuracy of the movable element 3 can be improved.

[0032] An insulating layer 43 is provided between the back (bottom) surface of the three-phase coils 41U, 41V, and 41W and the surface (top) surface of the soft magnetic member 42. The insulating layer 43 insulates the current flowing through the three-phase coils 41U, 41V, and 41W from flowing through the soft magnetic member 42, which is also a conductor. Although the surfaces of typical three-phase coils 41U, 41V, and 41W are covered with insulating material, in the linear transport system 1 of this embodiment, large currents may flow through the three-phase coils 41U, 41V, and 41W, which may cause leakage current to occur in the soft magnetic member 42. The insulating layer 43 can reliably block such leakage current. Furthermore, by forming the insulating layer 43 with an insulating and non-magnetic material such as insulating paper or resin, there is no adverse magnetic effect on either the generation of magnetic thrust (in the X-axis direction) between the permanent magnets 3N, 3S and the three-phase coils 41U, 41V, 41W, or the generation of magnetic attraction (in the Z-axis direction) between the permanent magnets 3N, 3S and the soft magnetic member 42.

[0033] As shown in Figure 3, the soft magnetic member 42 and the insulating layer 43 are formed continuously along the driving direction (X-axis direction). Also, as shown in Figure 2, in the non-driving direction (Y-axis direction), the widths of the permanent magnets 3N, 3S and the soft magnetic member 42 are greater than the widths of the three-phase coils 41U, 41V, and 41W. Therefore, a magnetic attraction can be stably generated between the permanent magnets 3N, 3S and the soft magnetic member 42 at both ends of the non-driving direction where the three-phase coils 41U, 41V, and 41W are not present. Consequently, the possibility of the movable member 3 falling off the stator 2 (rail) can be reduced, regardless of the driving state of the movable member 3 (state of the current flowing through the three-phase coils 41U, 41V, and 41W).

[0034] Figure 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a coreless linear motor 4 according to a second embodiment, which consists of a stator 2 and a movable element 3. Components similar to those in the first embodiment shown in Figures 2 and 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted.

[0035] On both sides of the coil 41 in the non-driving direction (Y-axis direction) (left and right sides in Figure 4), soft magnetic members 42A and 42B are provided so as to face the permanent magnets 3N and 3S in the Z-axis direction, generating a magnetic attraction between them. The soft magnetic members 42A and 42B are formed from soft magnetic materials with high magnetic permeability, such as iron, carbon steel, silicon steel, permalloy, Sendust, Permendur, soft ferrite, amorphous magnetic alloy, and nanocrystal magnetic alloy. Unlike the soft magnetic member 42 in the first embodiment shown in Figure 2, the soft magnetic members 42A and 42B, which face the permanent magnets 3N and 3S directly without the three-phase coils 41U, 41V, 41W, etc. in between, exert a stronger magnetic attraction on the permanent magnets 3N and 3S than in the first embodiment. Therefore, the possibility of the movable element 3, which is equipped with permanent magnets 3N and 3S, falling off the stator 2 (rail), which is equipped with soft magnetic members 42A and 42B, due to centrifugal force (in the Z-axis direction) or gravity (in the Y-axis direction) is reduced.

[0036] Here, the strength of the magnetic attraction between the soft magnetic members 42A and 42B and the permanent magnets 3N and 3S is mainly determined by the distance between the soft magnetic members 42A and 42B and the permanent magnets 3N and 3S in the opposing direction (Z-axis direction). In the first embodiment shown in Figures 2 and 3, since the three-phase coils 41U, 41V, and 41W and the insulating layer 43 were interposed between the soft magnetic member 42 and the permanent magnets 3N and 3S, it is conceivable that it may be difficult to bring the soft magnetic member 42 and the permanent magnets 3N and 3S close together, mainly due to the influence of the thickness of the three-phase coils 41U, 41V, and 41W. In contrast, in the second embodiment shown in Figure 4, the thickness of the soft magnetic members 42A and 42B can be freely adjusted independently of the thickness of the coil 41. For example, as shown in the example in Figure 4, the thickness of the soft magnetic members 42A and 42B in the opposing direction (Z-axis direction) is different from the thickness of the coil 41, and specifically, the thickness of the soft magnetic members 42A and 42B is greater than the thickness of the coil 41. In this way, the distance between the soft magnetic members 42A and 42B and the permanent magnets 3N and 3S in the opposing direction (Z-axis direction) can be reduced, thereby increasing the magnetic attraction between the soft magnetic members 42A and 42B and the permanent magnets 3N and 3S.

[0037] On the back surface (bottom surface) opposite to the facing surface (top surface) where the coil 41 and soft magnetic members 42A and 42B face the permanent magnets 3N and 3S, a non-magnetic member 44 is provided to which the coil 41 and soft magnetic members 42A and 42B are attached. The non-magnetic member 44 is formed of an insulating and non-magnetic material, similar to the insulating layer 43 in the first embodiment, and insulates the current flowing through the coil 41 from flowing through the soft magnetic members 42A and 42B, which are also conductors. For the purpose of insulation, a gap in the non-driving direction (Y-axis direction) is provided between the coil 41 and the soft magnetic members 42A and 42B.

[0038] The soft magnetic members 42A, 42B and the non-magnetic member 44 are formed continuously along the driving direction (X-axis direction). In the non-driving direction (Y-axis direction), the widths of the permanent magnets 3N, 3S and the non-magnetic member 44 are greater than the width of the coil 41. The soft magnetic members 42A and 42B are provided in the areas where the coil 41 is not provided at both ends of the non-driving direction of the non-magnetic member 44, and are positioned opposite the ends of the permanent magnets 3N and 3S in the non-driving direction to stably generate magnetic attraction. The soft magnetic members 42A and 42B extending in the driving direction (X-axis direction) and the permanent magnets 3N and 3S extending in the non-driving direction (Y-axis direction) are in a torsional position relative to each other.

[0039] Figure 5 is a schematic perspective view showing a coreless linear motor 4 according to the third embodiment, which is composed of a stator 2 and a movable element 3. This coreless linear motor 4 combines the components of the first embodiment (soft magnetic member 42 and insulating layer 43) and the components of the second embodiment (soft magnetic members 42A and 42B).

[0040] Specifically, instead of the non-magnetic member 44 in the second embodiment, the soft magnetic member 42 in the first embodiment (hereinafter also referred to as the second soft magnetic member 42) is provided, and the coil 41 and soft magnetic members 42A and 42B (hereinafter also referred to as the first soft magnetic members 42A and 42B) are provided on the back surface opposite to the opposing surface facing the permanent magnets 3N and 3S. In addition, the insulating layer 43 in the first embodiment is provided between the back surface of the coil 41 and the first soft magnetic members 42A and 42B and the surface of the second soft magnetic member 42.

[0041] According to this embodiment, magnetic attractive forces in opposing directions (Z-axis direction) are generated between the first soft magnetic members 42A and 42B and the permanent magnets 3N and 3S, and between the second soft magnetic member 42 and the permanent magnets 3N and 3S, thus reducing the possibility of the movable element 3 falling off the stator 2 (rail).

[0042] Furthermore, the insulating layer 43 provided between the back surfaces of the coil 41 and the first soft magnetic members 42A and 42B and the surface of the second soft magnetic member 42 reliably blocks leakage current from the coil 41 to the second soft magnetic member 42 and the first soft magnetic members 42A and 42B.

[0043] The present invention has been described above based on embodiments. Various modifications are possible for each component and each combination of processes in the exemplary embodiments, and it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that such modifications are included within the scope of the present invention.

[0044] The configuration, operation, and function of each device and method described in the embodiments can be realized by hardware resources or software resources, or by the cooperation of hardware resources and software resources. Hardware resources include, for example, processors, ROMs, RAMs, and various integrated circuits. Software resources include, for example, operating systems and application programs. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0045] 1 Linear transport system, 2 Stator, 3 Movable element, 4 Coreless linear motor, 41 Coil, 42 Soft magnetic material, 43 Insulating layer, 44 Non-magnetic material.

Claims

1. In a coreless linear motor in which a permanent magnet is provided on one of the movable element and stator, which are movable relative to each other in the driving direction along the track, and a coil is provided on the other, A soft magnetic member that generates a magnetic attraction with the permanent magnet is provided on both sides of the coil in the non-driving direction perpendicular to the driving direction, so as to face the permanent magnet in directions perpendicular to both the driving direction and the non-driving direction. Coreless linear motor.

2. The coreless linear motor according to claim 1, wherein a non-magnetic member is provided on the back surface opposite to the surface facing the permanent magnet to which the coil and the soft magnetic member are attached.

3. The coil and the soft magnetic member have a back surface opposite to the surface facing the permanent magnet, The coreless linear motor according to claim 1, wherein a second soft magnetic member is provided to which the coil and the soft magnetic member are attached, generating a magnetic attraction between it and the permanent magnet.

4. The coreless linear motor according to claim 3, wherein an insulating layer is provided between the back surface of the coil and the second soft magnetic member.

5. The permanent magnet is provided on the movable element. The coil is provided on the stator. A coreless linear motor according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The coreless linear motor according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the soft magnetic members provided on both sides of the coil are separate from each other.

7. Tracks including curved sections, A stator provided on the aforementioned track, A movable element that can move in the driving direction along the aforementioned track, A coreless linear motor in which a permanent magnet is provided on one of the movable element and the stator, and a coil is provided on the other, On both sides of the coil in the non-driving direction perpendicular to the driving direction, a soft magnetic member is provided so as to face the permanent magnet in a direction perpendicular to both the driving direction and the non-driving direction, and generates a magnetic attractive force between itself and the permanent magnet. A drive device equipped with the following features.

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