Linear motor control device and linear transport system

Abstract

The linear motor control device (10) comprises a controller unit (1) that moves multiple movers (4P-4R) having permanent magnets along a conveying path by controlling the flow of electricity to coils of fixed units (3A-3C) arranged to form a conveying path, a vibration information acquisition unit (6) that receives vibration information from vibration sensors (5P-5R) attached to the movers, the vibration information including information on the vibration of the movers and vibration sensor identification information that identifies the vibration sensor, and an individual identification unit (7) that identifies the movers based on the vibration information, wherein the controller unit acquires and manages position information, which is information on the position of the movers, at start-up and vibrates the movers based on the position information, and the individual identification unit receives from the controller unit position information of the movers vibrated by the controller unit and identifies the movers based on the position information and vibration information.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a linear motor control device and a linear conveyance system that individually identifies movers used in linear conveyance. [Background technology]

[0002] In factory automated production lines for the assembly of industrial products, etc., movable elements installed on the same transport route are individually controlled and multiple processes are established on the same transport route, thereby achieving flexibility in equipment design, etc.

[0003] For example, a linear transport system applied to a production line includes a movable part having a permanent magnet, a fixed part having a coil, and a controller part that controls the position of the movable part. By mounting a jig prepared by the user on the movable part, this linear transport system makes it possible to move the jig and perform processing work simultaneously in parallel, thereby reducing the installation area of ​​the equipment and reducing takt time.

[0004] In a linear transport system, multiple movers may be placed on one transport path, and each mover may perform a different operation. In this case, the linear transport system identifies the unique information (such as a serial number) assigned to each mover, and then performs a process appropriate to each mover.

[0005] In the linear conveying system described in Patent Document 1, a wireless tag that stores identification information of the mover is attached to the mover, and each mover is identified by reading the identification information from the wireless tag using a wireless tag reader installed along the conveying path. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2021-160841 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, in the technique of Patent Document 1, the number of installed wireless tag readers increases as the transport route becomes longer, which causes a problem of higher costs for identifying the movers.

[0008] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above, and has an object to provide a linear motor control device that can reduce the cost of identifying a mover. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object, the linear motor control device of the present disclosure includes a controller unit that controls the energization of coils of fixed parts arranged to form a conveying path, thereby moving multiple movers having permanent magnets along the conveying path. The linear motor control device of the present disclosure also includes a vibration information acquisition unit that receives vibration information from a vibration sensor attached to the mover, the vibration information including information on the vibration of the mover and vibration sensor identification information for identifying the vibration sensor, and an individual identification unit that identifies the mover based on the vibration information. The controller unit , possible Obtain location information, which is information on the location of the moving object. 、 Location-based Multiple mover At least one of The individual identification unit vibrates ,Ko The position of the movable element vibrated by the controller Report The mover is identified based on the vibration information. Effect of the Invention

[0010] The linear motor control device according to the present disclosure has an effect of reducing the cost for identifying the mover. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a linear transport system including a linear motor control device according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] 1 is a flowchart showing a procedure for individual identification performed by the linear transport system according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a processing circuit provided in a linear motor control device according to an embodiment when the processing circuit is realized by a processor and a memory; [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a processing circuit in a case where the processing circuit included in the linear motor control device according to the embodiment is configured with dedicated hardware; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] A linear motor control device and a linear conveyance system according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0013] Embodiment 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a linear conveyance system equipped with a linear motor control device according to an embodiment. The linear conveyance system 100 is a system that uses a linear motor to move a mover, which is a movable part, on a conveyance path. The linear conveyance system 100 is applied to, for example, a moving magnet type linear track system.

[0014] The linear transport system 100 includes a linear motor control device 10 and a linear transport mechanism 20. The linear transport mechanism 20 includes N (N is a natural number of 1 or more) control units, N fixed units (stators), M (M is a natural number of 1 or more) movers, and M vibration sensors. In this embodiment, a case where M is 2 or more will be described.

[0015] In the embodiment, a case where N and M are 3 will be described. That is, the linear conveyance system 100 includes a linear motor control device 10, three control units 2A-2C, three fixed units 3A-3C, three movers 4P-4R, and three vibration sensors 5P-5R. Note that the linear conveyance system 100 is not limited to a case where the number of fixed units and movable units are the same.

[0016] The linear motor control device 10 has a vibration information acquisition unit 6, an individual identification unit 7, and a controller unit 1. The controller unit 1 is connected to the individual identification unit 7. In addition, the vibration information acquisition unit 6 is connected to the individual identification unit 7. The linear motor control device 10 vibrates the movers 4P-4R in order at start-up, and identifies the movers 4P-4R based on information obtained during the vibration.

[0017] The excitation in the embodiment is a process of vibrating the movers 4P-4R by accelerating them at a specific acceleration. The linear motor control device 10 vibrates the movers 4P-4R for a short distance for a short time so that the movers 4P-4R do not collide with each other, and then stops them. The linear motor control device 10 accelerates the movers 4P-4R at an acceleration of a specific magnitude, such as 2G (gravity), where 1G is the gravitational acceleration, and then stops the movers 4P-4R. Below, a case will be described in which the controller unit 1 excites the movers 4P, 4Q, and 4R in this order, but the order of excitation may be any order.

[0018] The control units 2A to 2C are connected to the controller unit 1. The control units 2A to 2C are also connected one-to-one to the fixed units 3A to 3C, respectively. The control units 2A to 2C control the fixed units 3A to 3C, respectively. That is, the control unit 2A controls the fixed unit 3A, the control unit 2B controls the fixed unit 3B, and the control unit 2C controls the fixed unit 3C.

[0019] The control units 2A to 2C have inverter units (not shown) for energizing the coils (not shown) provided in the fixed units 3A to 3C, and position detection units (not shown) for detecting the positions of the movers 4P to 4R. Each inverter unit controls the energization of the coils and detects the energizing current.

[0020] Control units 2A-2C perform inverter control to energize the coils of fixed units 3A-3C and detect the positions of movers 4P-4R in accordance with instructions from controller unit 1. Control units 2A-2C correspond one-to-one to fixed units 3A-3C, respectively, and the correspondence does not change during control.

[0021] The position detection units of the control units 2A to 2C detect the magnetic fields emitted from the permanent magnets (not shown) of the movers 4P to 4R using, for example, Hall sensors (not shown) attached to the fixed units 3A to 3C, and perform position detection based on the detected magnetic fields. Note that the control units 2A to 2C may detect the positions of the movers 4P to 4R using any method.

[0022] Information on the positions of the movers 4P-4R (hereinafter referred to as position information) detected by the position detection sections of the control sections 2A-2C is transmitted to the controller section 1, which collectively manages the position information of the movers 4P-4R.

[0023] The fixed parts 3A to 3C are arranged along the direction of the path (transport path) along which the movers 4P to 4R move, i.e., along the movement direction. FIG. 1 shows a case in which the fixed part 3B is arranged beside the fixed part 3A, and the fixed part 3C is arranged beside the fixed part 3B. The fixed parts 3A to 3C are equipped with coils for generating a moving magnetic field to drive the movers 4P to 4R. The moving magnetic field generated by the fixed parts 3A to 3C corresponds to the order in which the coils are energized. That is, a moving magnetic field is generated according to the order in which the coils are energized, and the movers 4P to 4R move along the moving magnetic field.

[0024] The fixed units 3A to 3C drive each of the movers 4P to 4R individually by energizing the coils according to the position of each of the movers 4P to 4R. The fixed units 3A to 3C can drive each of the movers 4P to 4R at any position and speed within a range where the movers 4P to 4R do not collide with each other.

[0025] Furthermore, the fixed parts 3A to 3C have a holding mechanism (not shown) for holding the movers 4P to 4R, and the movers 4P to 4R can be driven along the fixed parts 3A to 3C without falling off. The fixed parts 3A to 3C are mechanically connected in series, and can form any path. That is, the fixed parts 3A to 3C are connected and arranged to form a transport path along which the movers 4P to 4R move. When there is only one fixed part, the single fixed part is arranged to form the transport path along which the mover moves.

[0026] The fixed portions 3A to 3C can be shaped to match the shape of the transport path, and can be linear, curved, or other shapes. The positional relationship between the movers 4P to 4R and the fixed portions 3A to 3C is not fixed one-to-one. For example, the mover 4P can move across the fixed portions 3A to 3C. Similarly, the movers 4Q and 4R can move across the fixed portions 3A to 3C.

[0027] Each of the movers 4P to 4R is equipped with a permanent magnet. The movers 4P to 4R move in response to an externally applied moving magnetic field. The linear transport system 100 can change the moving direction of the movers 4P to 4R and the thrust generated on the movers 4P to 4R by the direction and magnetic field strength of the moving magnetic field. The movers 4P to 4R are arranged along the moving direction of the movers 4P to 4R. FIG. 1 shows a case where the mover 4Q is arranged next to the mover 4P, and the mover 4R is arranged next to the mover 4Q.

[0028] Vibration sensors 5P to 5R are attached to the movers 4P to 4R, respectively. The vibration sensor 5P detects the vibration of the mover 4P, the vibration sensor 5Q detects the vibration of the mover 4Q, and the vibration sensor 5R detects the vibration of the mover 4R.

[0029] The specifications of the vibration sensors 5P-5R vary depending on the type of sensor. In this embodiment, a specific acceleration threshold is provided for the vibration sensors 5P-5R, and the vibration sensors 5P-5R detect whether or not the acceleration threshold is exceeded. That is, the vibration sensors 5P-5R detect the acceleration of the movers 4P-4R, respectively, and determine whether or not the detected acceleration, which is the detected acceleration, is higher than the acceleration threshold.

[0030] The vibration sensors 5P to 5R transmit to the vibration information acquiring unit 6 of the linear motor control device 10 vibration information including information on the vibration of the movers 4P to 4R and information for identifying the vibration sensors 5P to 5R (hereinafter referred to as vibration sensor identification information).

[0031] The vibration information of the movers 4P-4R is information indicating that the detected acceleration has exceeded an acceleration threshold (hereinafter referred to as excess information). When the detected acceleration has exceeded an acceleration threshold, the vibration sensors 5P-5R transmit vibration information including the excess information and vibration sensor identification information to the vibration information acquisition unit 6.

[0032] In the linear transport system 100, the controller unit 1 vibrates the movers 4P to 4R in sequence, so that the vibration sensors 5P to 5R transmit the vibration information in sequence to the vibration information acquisition unit 6. The vibration sensors 5P to 5R transmit the vibration information to the vibration information acquisition unit 6 by, for example, wireless communication.

[0033] The sensor specifications of the vibration sensors 5P to 5R are not limited to the above-mentioned sensor specifications, and may be other sensor specifications. For example, the vibration sensors 5P to 5R may transmit vibration information to the vibration information acquisition unit 6 by wired communication.

[0034] The controller unit 1 independently drives and controls each of the movers 4P-4R. The controller unit 1 generates current commands to the control units 2A-2C based on the operation profile of each of the movers 4P-4R written by the user using an engineering tool or the like. That is, the controller unit 1 generates current commands to the inverter unit to drive the movers 4P-4R according to the operation profile. The operation profile is defined by an operation program or the like created by the user.

[0035] Furthermore, the controller unit 1 acquires and manages position information of each of the movers 4P-4R detected by the control units 2A-2C from the control units 2A-2C. The controller unit 1 drives and controls the movers 4P-4R based on the position information of each of the movers 4P-4R.

[0036] The controller unit 1 has the above-mentioned functions and can centrally control all of the movers 4P to 4R. This allows the controller unit 1 to arbitrarily and individually control each of the movers 4P to 4R while always grasping the position and state of each of the movers 4P to 4R.

[0037] Furthermore, at the time of startup, the controller unit 1 vibrates the movers 4P to 4R in sequence based on the position information of the movers 4P to 4R so that the acceleration becomes higher than an acceleration threshold value (vibration threshold value).

[0038] Although the controller unit 1 can obtain position information of each of the movers 4P-4R at startup, it cannot recognize which mover is located at which position until it identifies information unique to each of the movers 4P-4R (mover-specific information such as a serial number) assigned to each of the movers 4P-4R. In other words, the controller unit 1 cannot determine which mover is located at which position and which mover-specific information is assigned to it until the identification process for the movers 4P-4R is completed. In the embodiment, the controller unit 1 executes the identification process for each of the movers 4P-4R at startup.

[0039] In the linear conveyance system 100, there are multiple types of jigs mounted on the movers 4P to 4R, and it may be desired to move each jig in a different way depending on the type of jig. Also, in the linear conveyance system 100, there may be cases where it is desired to record unique information (for example, production information such as production phase and production quantity) for each mover 4P to 4R and move each mover in a different way depending on the production information.

[0040] In these cases, the linear transport system 100 performs control according to each of the movers 4P-4R after individually identifying the movers 4P-4R. The identification here does not mean simply identifying the positions of the movers 4P-4R, but for example, identifying the movers 4P-4R corresponding to the vibration sensors 5P-5R by identifying vibration sensor identification information unique to the vibration sensors 5P-5R. Hereinafter, identifying the mover unique information, which is information unique to the movers 4P-4R, may be referred to as individual identification.

[0041] Generally, since the mover is composed only of structural members and permanent magnets, it is difficult to embed information for individual identification in the mover itself. In addition, since the positions of the movers 4P-4R may be changed by the user after the power is turned off in the linear transport system 100, even if the positions of the movers 4P-4R and the identification information of the movers 4P-4R are associated and stored, the stored information is often not usable at the next startup. For this reason, conventional linear transport systems can detect the coordinates of each mover at startup, but cannot identify each mover.

[0042] For example, in a conventional linear transport system, a method is considered in which a wireless tag reader installed along the transport path reads out identification information from a wireless tag attached to a mover. In this method, the number of wireless tag readers installed increases, raising costs, and there is a risk of false detection of signals when movers are adjacent to each other.

[0043] When the linear transport system 100 of the embodiment is started, the vibration sensors 5P-5R arranged on the movers 4P-4R are used to identify the individual movers 4P-4R, thereby reducing the cost of identifying the movers. In addition, since the linear transport system 100 uses the vibration sensors 5P-5R arranged on the movers 4P-4R to identify the individual movers 4P-4R, there is a small risk of erroneous detection of a signal even when the movers 4P-4R are adjacent to each other.

[0044] The vibration information acquiring unit 6 receives vibration information from the vibration sensors 5P to 5R. When the vibration information acquiring unit 6 receives vibration information from the vibration sensors 5P to 5R by wireless communication, the vibration information acquiring unit 6 has a wireless receiver.

[0045] In the linear transport system 100, the controller unit 1 vibrates the movers 4P to 4R in sequence, and so the vibration information acquisition unit 6 receives the vibration information from the vibration sensors 5P to 5R in sequence. That is, the vibration information acquisition unit 6 receives the vibration information in the following order: the vibration information of the mover 4P, the vibration information of the mover 4Q, and the vibration information of the mover 4R.

[0046] The vibration information acquisition unit 6 transmits the received vibration information to the individual identification unit 7. The vibration information acquisition unit 6 transmits the vibration information to the individual identification unit 7 in the following order: vibration information from vibration sensor 5P, vibration information from vibration sensor 5Q, and vibration information from vibration sensor 5R.

[0047] The individual identification unit 7 receives vibration information including the excess information and vibration sensor identification information from the vibration information acquisition unit 6. Furthermore, the individual identification unit 7 receives position information from the controller unit 1 at the time of startup, which is information on the positions of the movers 4P-4R excited by the controller unit 1. This position information is the position information detected by the position detection units of the control units 2A-2C and transmitted to the controller unit 1 at the time of startup.

[0048] When the controller unit 1 receives position information from the control units 2A to 2C, it has acquired the first position information, the second position information, and the third position information, but does not know which of the movable elements 4P to 4R each piece of position information corresponds to.

[0049] The individual identification unit 7 receives the position information of the movers 4P to 4R in order from the controller unit 1. Here, the individual identification unit 7 receives the position information in the order of the position information of the mover 4P, the position information of the mover 4Q, and the position information of the mover 4R.

[0050] The individual identification unit 7 stores in advance information in which vibration sensor identification information and mover unique information are associated with each other (hereinafter referred to as mover correspondence information). In the mover correspondence information of the embodiment, the mover unique information of the mover 4P is associated with the vibration sensor identification information of the vibration sensor 5P. In the mover correspondence information, the mover unique information of the mover 4Q is associated with the vibration sensor identification information of the vibration sensor 5Q, and the mover unique information of the mover 4R is associated with the vibration sensor identification information of the vibration sensor 5R. The mover correspondence information may be stored in a storage unit (not shown) arranged outside the individual identification unit 7.

[0051] The individual identification unit 7 performs individual identification of the movers 4P to 4R based on the vibration information received from the vibration information acquisition unit 6, the information received from the controller unit 1 (position information corresponding to the driving status of the movers 4P to 4R), and the mover correspondence information.

[0052] For example, when the individual identification unit 7 receives first position information from the controller unit 1 and then receives vibration information of the vibration sensor 5P from the vibration information acquisition unit 6, the individual identification unit 7 determines that the vibration sensor 5P is disposed on the mover that stopped at the position corresponding to the first position information. Furthermore, the individual identification unit 7 determines that the vibration sensor 5P is disposed on the mover 4P based on the vibration sensor identification information and the mover correspondence information included in the vibration information of the vibration sensor 5P. As a result, the individual identification unit 7 determines that the mover that stopped at the position corresponding to the first position information is the mover 4P.

[0053] Similarly, when the individual identification unit 7 receives, for example, second position information from the controller unit 1, and then receives vibration information from the vibration sensor 5Q from the vibration information acquisition unit 6, it determines that the mover stopped at the position corresponding to the second position information is the mover 4Q.

[0054] Similarly, when the individual identification unit 7 receives, for example, third position information from the controller unit 1, and then receives vibration information of the vibration sensor 5R from the vibration information acquisition unit 6, it determines that the mover stopped at the position corresponding to the third position information is the mover 4R.

[0055] In the linear conveyance system 100, after the individual identification unit 7 individually identifies one mover, the controller unit 1 vibrates the next mover. That is, in the linear conveyance system 100, the process in which the controller unit 1 vibrates one mover and the process in which the individual identification unit 7 individually identifies one mover are repeated.

[0056] In the embodiment, the controller unit 1 vibrates the mover 4P, and the individual identification unit 7 individually identifies the mover 4P. Then, the individual identification unit 7 transmits information indicating that the mover corresponding to the first position information is the mover 4P to the controller unit 1. Then, the controller unit 1 vibrates the mover 4Q, and the individual identification unit 7 individually identifies the mover 4Q. Then, the individual identification unit 7 transmits information indicating that the mover corresponding to the second position information is the mover 4Q to the controller unit 1. Then, the controller unit 1 vibrates the mover 4R, and the individual identification unit 7 individually identifies the mover 4R. Then, the individual identification unit 7 transmits information indicating that the mover corresponding to the third position information is the mover 4R to the controller unit 1.

[0057] This allows the controller unit 1 to cause each of the identified movers 4P-4R to operate in accordance with the movers 4P-4R. The controller unit 1 can also select a memory address corresponding to each of the identified movers 4P-4R and store information specific to each of the movers 4P-4R (such as travel distance) in the memory address corresponding to the mover 4P-4R. In this way, the linear motor control device 10 individually identifies the movers 4P-4R and then executes control and information recording in accordance with each of the movers 4P-4R.

[0058] The vibration sensors 5P-5R may transmit the detected acceleration instead of the excess information to the linear motor control device 10. In this case, the vibration sensors 5P-5R transmit vibration information including the detected acceleration and vibration sensor identification information to the vibration information acquisition unit 6. The individual identification unit 7 compares the detected acceleration included in the vibration information with an acceleration threshold value and determines whether the detected acceleration is higher than the acceleration threshold value. If the detected acceleration is higher than the acceleration threshold value, the individual identification unit 7 uses the vibration information including the detected acceleration to individually identify the movers 4P-4R.

[0059] Next, a description will be given of the procedure of individual identification executed by the linear conveyance system 100. Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing the procedure of individual identification executed by the linear conveyance system according to the embodiment.

[0060] When the linear transport system 100 is started up, the controller unit 1 receives position information of the movers 4P-4R from the control units 2A-2C and transmits it to the individual identification unit 7. As a result, the individual identification unit 7 acquires the position information of the movers 4P-4R (step S10).

[0061] Immediately after the linear conveyance system 100 is started up, the controller unit 1 can detect that the three movers 4P to 4R are present at their respective coordinates and can issue commands to each of the movers 4P to 4R, but is in a state where it cannot individually identify these movers 4P to 4R. In other words, immediately after the linear conveyance system 100 is started up, the controller unit 1 can recognize that there are three movers and the positions of the three movers, but cannot recognize which mover is in which position.

[0062] The controller unit 1 outputs a command (vibration command) to vibrate one of the three movers 4P to 4R. Based on the position information, the controller unit 1 outputs a vibration command to a control unit corresponding to the position information of the mover to be vibrated. As a result, the controller unit 1 vibrates one mover. That is, based on the position information, the controller unit 1 vibrates the mover corresponding to the position information so as to exceed the acceleration threshold (step S20). For example, the controller unit 1 outputs a vibration command to a control unit corresponding to the first position information. As a result, the mover corresponding to the first position information vibrates. The controller unit 1 transmits the position information of the vibrated mover (here, the first position information) to the individual identification unit 7.

[0063] At this time, only the vibration sensor attached to the vibrating mover detects that the detected acceleration has become higher than the acceleration threshold. Then, only the vibration sensor attached to the vibrating mover transmits vibration information including excess information indicating that the detected acceleration has become higher than the acceleration threshold and vibration sensor identification information for identifying the vibration sensor to the vibration information acquisition unit 6. At this time, the vibration sensors attached to the mover that is not vibrating do not transmit vibration information to the vibration information acquisition unit 6.

[0064] The vibration information acquisition unit 6 receives the vibration information and transmits it to the individual identification unit 7. As a result, the individual identification unit 7 acquires the vibration information (step S30). The individual identification unit 7 performs individual identification of the mover based on the position information of the vibrated mover, the vibration information, and the mover correspondence information (step S40). For example, if the vibration information includes the vibration sensor identification information of the vibration sensor 5P, the individual identification unit 7 determines that the first mover of the first vibrated position information is the mover 4P to which the vibration sensor 5P is attached. The individual identification unit 7 transmits information indicating that the mover at the vibrated position is the mover 4P to the controller unit 1.

[0065] The controller 1 determines whether or not all the movers for which the position information has been acquired have been excited (step S50). If none of the movers have been excited (step S50, No), the linear conveyance system 100 executes the processes of steps S20 to S50.

[0066] In this case, the controller unit 1 outputs a vibration command to vibrate one of the two movers that is not vibrating to the control unit corresponding to the position information of the mover to be vibrated. As a result, the controller unit 1 vibrates the mover corresponding to the position information so as to exceed the acceleration threshold value (step S20). Thereafter, the same processes as those of steps S30 to S50 described above are executed.

[0067] If no vibration is applied to any of the movers (step S50, No), the linear transport system 100 executes the process of steps S20 to S50. The controller unit 1 here outputs a vibration command to vibrate the remaining mover that is not being vibrated, to the control unit corresponding to the position information of the mover to be vibrated. As a result, the controller unit 1 excites the mover corresponding to the position information so as to exceed the acceleration threshold value (step S20). Thereafter, the same process as the process of steps S30 to S50 described above is executed.

[0068] In this manner, the linear transport system 100 repeats the processes of steps S20 to S50 until all of the movers for which the position information has been acquired are vibrated and individual identification of each mover is performed.

[0069] When the controller unit 1 determines that all of the movers for which the position information has been acquired have been excited (Yes in step S50), the linear conveyance system 100 completes the individual identification process.

[0070] The linear motor control device 10 can associate information for identifying the movers 4P-4R (such as a serial number) with the vibration sensor identification information by using the above-mentioned procedure. In this way, the linear motor control device 10 manages information in which the information for identifying the movers 4P-4R is associated with the vibration sensor identification information. The linear motor control device 10 may also manage the movers 4P-4R using the vibration sensor identification information. After this, the controller unit 1 executes individual control for each of the individually identified movers 4P-4R.

[0071] There is no limit to the number of movers that can be applied to the linear conveyance system 100. In the linear conveyance system 100, a vibration sensor is attached to each of the movers, and the vibration sensor identification information is set so that they do not overlap, so that the number of movers that the linear motor control device 10 performs individual identification can be increased as desired.

[0072] In the linear conveying system 100, when the vibration sensors transmit vibration information to the linear motor control device 10 via wireless communication, the linear motor control device 10 only needs to be equipped with one wireless receiver regardless of the number of vibration sensors, thereby reducing the cost of identifying the movable element.

[0073] Furthermore, since the linear motor control device 10 detects the movers 4P-4R based on vibration information from the vibration sensors 5P-5R attached to the movers 4P-4R, the adjacent distance between the movers 4P-4R does not affect the detection accuracy of the movers 4P-4R. Therefore, there is little risk of failure to detect the movers 4P-4R when the movers 4P-4R are adjacent to each other.

[0074] Furthermore, the information detected by the vibration sensors 5P to 5R is acceleration and does not depend on the amount of movement of the movers 4P to 4R, so that the movers 4P to 4R can be detected by minute movements of the movers 4P to 4R.

[0075] In the embodiment, a vibration sensor is attached to each of all the movers, but the vibration sensor may be attached to only one of the movers. This method can be applied when the arrangement information of the movers is known and if one mover can be individually identified, the other movers can also be individually identified.

[0076] In this case, the controller unit 1 outputs a vibration command to vibrate one of the three movers 4P-4R, and vibrates the one mover so that it exceeds the acceleration threshold. At this time, if the vibration information acquisition unit 6 has not received vibration information and the individual identification unit 7 has not acquired vibration information, the individual identification unit 7 determines that the vibrated mover does not have a vibration sensor attached, and vibrates the other movers. The linear motor control device 10 repeats these processes until it receives vibration information.

[0077] When a mover to which a vibration sensor is attached vibrates, vibration information is transmitted from the vibration sensor to the linear motor control device 10. This vibration information includes vibration sensor identification information of the mover to which the vibration sensor is attached.

[0078] The individual identification unit 7 simultaneously acquires vibration information of the mover to which the vibration sensor is attached and position information of the vibrated mover, thereby detecting that a vibration sensor is attached to the vibrated mover.

[0079] For example, when the vibration sensor 5P is attached to the mover 4P, when the individual identification unit 7 acquires the vibration sensor identification information of the vibration sensor 5P, the individual identification unit 7 determines that the vibration sensor 5P is attached to the mover that was vibrated. As a result, the individual identification unit 7 can determine that the mover 4P is vibrated, since the mover to which the vibration sensor 5P is attached is the mover 4P.

[0080] After this, the individual identification unit 7 can also identify the individual pieces of other movers based on the information on the arrangement of the movers. In this method, even if there are multiple movers, only one vibration sensor is required, so it is possible to further reduce the cost for identifying the individual movers.

[0081] When M is 3 or more, 2 to (M-1) vibration sensors may be attached to M movers. When M is 2, one vibration sensor may be attached to two movers. In these cases, the linear motor control device 10 repeats the process of vibrating one of the multiple movers to identify and individually identify the one vibrated mover. When 2 to (M-1) vibration sensors are attached to M movers, it is possible to identify the mover to which the vibration sensor is attached in a shorter time than when one vibration sensor is attached to M movers.

[0082] In addition, the linear motor control device 10 may transmit vibration commands to multiple movers simultaneously when a vibration sensor is attached to only one mover. In this case, the linear motor control device 10 divides the movers into multiple groups and transmits vibration commands to each group simultaneously. When the linear motor control device 10 receives vibration information when transmitting a vibration command to a specific group, it determines that a vibration sensor is attached to this group. Then, the linear motor control device 10 further divides the movers in this group into multiple groups and transmits vibration commands to each group simultaneously. By repeating these processes, the linear motor control device 10 vibrates only one mover to which a vibration sensor is attached and receives vibration information from the vibration sensor of this mover. In this way, the linear motor control device 10 specifies and individually identifies the mover to which the vibration sensor is attached.

[0083] The linear motor control device 10 can shorten the detection time by, for example, exciting the movers using a binary search. In this case, the linear motor control device 10 divides M movers into two groups. For example, when M is an even number, the linear motor control device 10 divides the movers into groups of (M / 2) movers each. Then, the linear motor control device 10 transmits an exciting command to all movers in one group simultaneously, and when vibration information cannot be received, transmits an exciting command to all movers in the other group simultaneously.

[0084] The linear motor control device 10 further divides the movers in the group that received the vibration information into two groups. For example, if (M / 2) is an even number, the linear motor control device 10 divides the movers into groups of (M / 4) pieces each. The linear motor control device 10 then transmits a vibration command to all the movers in one group at the same time, and if vibration information cannot be received, transmits a vibration command to all the movers in the other group at the same time. By repeating these processes, the linear motor control device 10 vibrates only one mover to which a vibration sensor is attached, and receives vibration information from the vibration sensor of this mover. In this way, the linear motor control device 10 identifies and individually identifies the mover to which the vibration sensor is attached.

[0085] Note that even when M is 3 or more and 2 to (M-1) vibration sensors are attached to M movers, vibration commands may be sent simultaneously to multiple movers, similar to the case where a vibration sensor is attached to only one mover. In this case, linear motor control device 10 divides the movers into multiple groups and sends vibration commands simultaneously to each group, similar to the case where a vibration sensor is attached to only one mover. Linear motor control device 10 repeats a process of sending vibration commands to each group, and a process of further dividing the movers in the group that received vibration information into multiple groups and sending vibration commands simultaneously to each group, thereby identifying and individually identifying the movers to which the vibration sensors are attached.

[0086] Furthermore, the linear motor control device 10 may simultaneously vibrate multiple movers at different accelerations. The linear motor control device 10 vibrates a first mover of the M movers at a first acceleration and vibrates a second mover at a second acceleration. The linear motor control device 10 may simultaneously vibrate three or more movers at different accelerations.

[0087] When multiple movers are vibrated simultaneously with different accelerations, each of the vibration sensors 5P-5R transmits the detected acceleration as excess information to the linear motor control device 10. The individual identification unit 7 of the linear motor control device 10 acquires information on the acceleration used to vibrate each mover (hereinafter referred to as acceleration information) together with position information from the controller unit 1. The individual identification unit 7 acquires, for example, a first acceleration as the acceleration information of the first mover, and a second acceleration as the acceleration information of the second mover. The individual identification unit 7 individually identifies the movers based on the position information, the acceleration information, and the detected acceleration.

[0088] For example, when M is 2 or more and 1st to mth (m is a natural number from 2 to M) movers among the M movers correspond to the 1st to mth position information, the controller unit 1 vibrates the 1st to mth movers at the 1st to mth accelerations. The controller unit 1 transmits the 1st to mth acceleration information corresponding to the 1st to mth acceleration information and the 1st to mth position information to the individual identification unit 7 in association with each other. That is, the controller unit 1 transmits the first acceleration information corresponding to the first acceleration and the first position information in association with each other to the individual identification unit 7. Similarly, the controller unit 1 transmits the mth acceleration information corresponding to the mth acceleration and the mth position information in association with each other to the individual identification unit 7.

[0089] The first to mth accelerations are, for example, 1 G to mG. That is, the first acceleration is 1 G, the second acceleration is 2 G, and the mth acceleration is mG. Note that the first to mth accelerations may be any accelerations as long as they are different from each other.

[0090] The vibration sensors attached to the 1st to mth movers detect the 1st to mth accelerations, and transmit vibration information including the detected values ​​(the 1st to mth detected accelerations) to the linear motor control device 10.

[0091] The individual identification unit 7 receives, for example, a combination of the first position information and the first acceleration information, and a combination of the m-th position information and the m-th acceleration information from the controller unit 1. The individual identification unit 7 also receives the first detected acceleration from the first vibration sensor attached to the first mover, and receives the m-th detected acceleration from the m-th vibration sensor attached to the m-th mover. In this case, the individual identification unit 7 determines that the mover stopped at the position corresponding to the first position information is the mover to which the first vibration sensor is attached. Similarly, the individual identification unit 7 determines that the mover stopped at the position corresponding to the m-th position information is the mover to which the m-th vibration sensor is attached.

[0092] When identifying m individual movers simultaneously, the linear motor control device 10 vibrates the m movers with m types of acceleration. Therefore, when identifying each mover in turn, the linear motor control device 10 only needs to vibrate one mover with one type of acceleration, but when identifying multiple movers simultaneously, the linear motor control device 10 vibrates the movers with the same number of types of acceleration as the number of movers to be individually identified simultaneously.

[0093] In addition, when the vibration sensor is attached to only one mover, the linear motor control device 10 may divide the mover into multiple groups and simultaneously vibrate the mover at a different acceleration for each group. For example, the linear motor control device 10 divides the mover into three groups. Then, the linear motor control device 10 simultaneously executes a process of transmitting a vibration command to vibrate all the movers in the first group at a first acceleration, a process of transmitting a vibration command to vibrate all the movers in the second group at a second acceleration, and a process of transmitting a vibration command to vibrate all the movers in the third group at a third acceleration.

[0094] When the linear motor control device 10 receives vibration information including the first detected acceleration, it determines that a vibration sensor is attached to the mover of the first group. Similarly, when the linear motor control device 10 receives vibration information including the second detected acceleration, it determines that a vibration sensor is attached to the mover of the second group, and when the linear motor control device 10 receives vibration information including the third detected acceleration, it determines that a vibration sensor is attached to the mover of the third group.

[0095] The linear motor control device 10 further divides the group of movers to which vibration sensors are attached into a plurality of groups, and transmits vibration commands to each group to vibrate the movers at different accelerations.

[0096] The linear motor control device 10 repeats the process of dividing the movers into multiple groups, the process of sending vibration commands to vibrate each group at a different acceleration, the process of identifying the group to which a vibration sensor is attached, and the process of dividing the movers in the group to which a vibration sensor is attached into multiple groups.

[0097] By repeating these processes, the linear motor control device 10 vibrates only one mover to which a vibration sensor is attached and receives vibration information from the vibration sensor of this mover. In this way, the linear motor control device 10 identifies and individually identifies the mover to which the vibration sensor is attached.

[0098] In this way, the linear transport system 100 identifies the individual movers 4P to 4R without using a wireless tag and a wireless tag reader, so that the individual movers 4P to 4R can be identified at low cost even if the transport route is long.

[0099] Furthermore, since the linear conveyance system 100 individually identifies the movers 4P to 4R based on the detected acceleration of the movers 4P to 4R, the movers 4P to 4R can be individually identified by a short movement amount of the movers 4P to 4R.

[0100] Furthermore, the linear transport system 100 performs individual identification of the movers 4P to 4R using the vibration sensors 5P to 5R arranged on the movers 4P to 4R, so that the movers 4P to 4R can be individually identified even if the movers 4P to 4R are adjacent to each other.

[0101] In this way, the linear conveying system 100 does not use wireless tags and wireless tag readers, and can individually identify the movers 4P to 4R even when the movers 4P to 4R are adjacent to each other, even with short movements of the movers 4P to 4R, so it can be applied to a wide range of use cases (ways in which the linear conveying system 100 is used and ways in which the movers 4P to 4R are moved).

[0102] In addition, even for linear conveying systems that do not have the function of individual identification of the mover, the individual identification function can be easily added to the linear conveying system by retrofitting a vibration sensor to the mover and applying the linear motor control device 10.

[0103] Next, we will explain the hardware configuration of the linear motor control device 10. The linear motor control device 10 is realized by a processing circuit. The processing circuit may be a processor and memory that executes a program stored in a memory, or may be dedicated hardware.

[0104] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a processing circuit provided in the linear motor control device according to the embodiment when the processing circuit is realized by a processor and a memory. The processing circuit 90 shown in FIG. 3 includes a processor 91 and a memory 92. When the processing circuit 90 is configured with the processor 91 and the memory 92, each function of the processing circuit 90 is realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The software or firmware is described as a control program and stored in the memory 92. In the processing circuit 90, each function is realized by the processor 91 reading and executing the control program stored in the memory 92. That is, the processing circuit 90 includes a memory 92 for storing a control program that results in the processing of the linear motor control device 10 being executed.

[0105] This control program can also be said to be a program for causing the linear motor control device 10 to execute each function realized by the processing circuit 90. This control program may be provided by a computer-readable recording medium on which the control program is recorded, or may be provided by other means such as a communication medium.

[0106] The control program can be said to be a program that causes the linear motor control device 10 to execute the processes of steps S10 to S50 in Fig. 2. Here, the processor 91 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a processing device, an arithmetic device, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). The memory 92 is, for example, a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory, an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), or an EEPROM (Electrically EPROM), a magnetic disk, a flexible disk, an optical disk, a compact disk, a mini disk, or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc).

[0107] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a processing circuit provided in the linear motor control device according to the embodiment, which is configured with dedicated hardware. The processing circuit 93 shown in Fig. 4 corresponds to, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a combination of these. The processing circuit 93 may be partially realized by dedicated hardware and partially realized by software or firmware. In this way, the processing circuit 93 can realize each of the above-mentioned functions by dedicated hardware, software, firmware, or a combination of these.

[0108] In this manner, in the linear motor control device 10 of the embodiment, the controller unit 1 vibrates the movers 4P-4R at startup, and the individual identification unit 7 identifies the movers 4P-4R based on position information of the vibrated movers and vibration information detected by a vibration sensor attached to the movers. This allows the linear motor control device 10 to reduce the cost of identifying the movers even when the transport path is long.

[0109] The configurations shown in the above embodiments are merely examples, and may be combined with other known technologies. Parts of the configurations may be omitted or modified without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0110] 1 controller unit, 2A to 2C control unit, 3A to 3C fixed unit, 4P to 4R mover, 5P to 5R vibration sensor, 6 vibration information acquisition unit, 7 individual identification unit, 10 linear motor control device, 20 linear conveyance mechanism, 90, 93 processing circuit, 91 processor, 92 memory, 100 linear conveyance system.

Claims

1. A controller unit that controls the supply of power to coils of fixed parts arranged to constitute a transport path, thereby moving multiple movable elements having permanent magnets along the transport path, A vibration information acquisition unit receives vibration information from a vibration sensor attached to the movable element, which includes vibration information of the movable element and vibration sensor identification information that identifies the vibration sensor. A unit for identifying the movable element based on the vibration information, Equipped with, The controller unit acquires position information, which is information about the position of the movable element, and vibrates at least one of the plurality of movable elements based on the position information. The individual identification unit identifies the movable element based on the position information and vibration information of the movable element vibrated by the controller unit. A linear motor control device characterized by the following features.

2. The controller unit vibrates the movable elements in sequence, and the individual identification unit identifies the movable elements in sequence. The linear motor control device according to claim 1.

3. The controller unit simultaneously vibrates multiple movable elements with different accelerations, thereby enabling the individual identification unit to simultaneously identify multiple movable elements. The linear motor control device according to claim 1.

4. The controller unit divides the multiple movable elements into multiple groups and vibrates each group, and the vibration information acquisition unit receives the vibration information from a vibration sensor attached to only one of the multiple movable elements. The individual identification unit identifies the group to which the vibration sensor is attached from among the plurality of groups based on the vibration information, and identifies the movable element from among the identified group. The linear motor control device according to claim 1.

5. The process involves the controller unit dividing the multiple movable elements into multiple groups and vibrating each group for the group identified by the individual identification unit, the vibration information acquisition unit receiving vibration information from a vibration sensor attached to only one of the multiple movable elements, and the individual identification unit identifying the group to which the vibration sensor is attached from among the multiple groups based on the vibration information, and repeating this process so that the individual identification unit can identify the movable elements. The linear motor control device according to feature 4.

6. The vibration information acquisition unit receives the vibration information which includes excess information indicating that the vibration acceleration has become higher than the acceleration threshold, The individual identification unit identifies the movable element based on the vibration information including the excess information. A linear motor control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The vibration information acquisition unit receives the vibration information which includes the detected acceleration indicating the acceleration of the vibration as vibration information. The individual identification unit determines whether the detected acceleration is higher than the acceleration threshold, and if the detected acceleration is higher than the acceleration threshold, it identifies the movable element based on the vibration information including the detected acceleration. A linear motor control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

8. The controller unit causes the identified movable element to perform an action corresponding to the movable element. A linear motor control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

9. The controller unit stores information specific to each identified movable element. A linear motor control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

10. A linear motor control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, A linear transport system characterized by the following features.

11. The control unit further comprises a control unit that energizes the coil of the fixed part in accordance with instructions from the controller unit, detects the position of the movable part, and transmits the position of the movable part as position information to the controller unit. The linear transport system according to claim 10.

12. Further comprising a plurality of the movable elements and the vibration sensor, The linear transport system according to claim 10.

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