Method for controlling the normal force of a transport unit of a long stator linear motor

A method for controlling a normal force (FNn) acting on a transport unit of a conveyor installation in the form of a long stator linear motor on a track section of a conveyor track defined by the conveyor installation, on which track section drive coils of the long stator linear motor are provided on only one side of the transport unit and the transport unit is retained on the conveyor track on this side by guide elements, wherein a number of drive magnets on the transport unit interacts with a number of drive coils for generating the normal force (FNn) and the normal force (FNn) is controlled with a controller for controlling the normal force (FNn), wherein the controller determines a normal-force-forming current component of the drive current of the drive coils interacting with the transport unit so that a resulting normal force (FΣNn) acting on the transport unit as the sum of the normal force (FNn), a magnetic force (FMn) in a normal direction caused by the drive magnets, and an external force (FEn) in the normal direction acting on the transport unit corresponds at least to a specified retaining force (FNnmin) in the normal direction.