US 11,027,615 B2Granted

System and method for improving travel across joints in a track for a linear motion system

AssigneeRockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.

InventorYuhong Huang

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Abstract

A system for determining the position of a mover as the mover transitions between segments along a track includes a first controller on a first track segment and a second controller on a second track segment. The first and second track segments are adjacent to each other and a junction is located between the two segments. The first and second controllers are in communication with each other and share a locally determined position value with the other controller. Each controller determines a compensated position value as a function of both a locally determined position value and the shared position value received from the other controller. Each controller utilizes the compensated value of the position value as determined on that controller to control operation of the mover while it is present on the corresponding track segment.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system for improving motion of movers across junctions in a linear drive system, the system comprising:

a plurality of movers;
and
a track along which the plurality of movers travel, the track including at least a first track segment and a second track segment, wherein:
the first track segment includes:
a first segment controller operative to control operation of each of the plurality of movers on the first track segment, and
at least one first position sensor operative to detect a location of each of the plurality of movers on the first track segment;
the second track segment includes:
a second segment controller operative to control operation of each of the plurality of movers on the second track segment, and
at least one second position sensor operative to detect a location of each of the plurality of movers on the second track segment;
the first segment controller is in communication with the second segment controller;
a junction is defined between the first track segment and the second track segment;
and
when a first mover, selected from the plurality of movers, crosses the junction between the first track segment and the second track segment, the first segment controller is operative to determine a first measured position of the first mover with the location from the at least one first position sensor, transmit a first shared position to the second segment controller, receive a second shared position from the second segment controller, and determine a first compensated position of the first mover as a function of the first measured position and the second shared position and the second segment controller is operative to determine a second measured position of the first mover with the location from the at least one second position sensor, transmit the second shared position to the first segment controller, receive the first shared position from the first segment controller, and determine a second compensated position of the first mover as a function of the first shared position and the second measured position.

10 more elements

A method for improving motion of movers across junctions in a linear drive system, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a first position feedback signal with a first controller from a first position sensor on a first track segment, wherein the first position feedback signal corresponds to a position of a mover traveling across a junction between the first track segment and a second track segment in the linear drive system;
determining a first measured position of the mover with the first controller as a function of the first position feedback signal;
receiving a second position feedback signal with a second controller from a second position sensor on the second track segment;
determining a second measured position of the mover with the second controller as a function of the second position feedback signal;
transmitting the first measured position from the first controller to the second controller;
transmitting the second measured position from the second controller to the first controller;
determining a first compensated position of the mover with the first controller as a function of the first measured position and the second measured position;
determining a second compensated position of the mover with the second controller as a function of the first measured position and the second measured position;
controlling operation of the mover on the first track segment with the first controller as a function of the first compensated position;
and
controlling operation of the mover on the second track segment with the second controller as a function of the second compensated position.

8 more elements

A method for improving motion of movers across junctions in a linear drive system, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a first position feedback signal with a first controller from a first position sensor on a first track segment, wherein the first position feedback signal corresponds to a position of a mover traveling across a junction between the first track segment and a second track segment in the linear drive system;
determining a first measured position of the mover with the first controller as a function of the first position feedback signal;
receiving a second position feedback signal with a second controller from a second position sensor on the second track segment;
determining a second measured position of the mover with the second controller as a function of the second position feedback signal;
transmitting a first compensated position from the first controller to the second controller;
transmitting a second compensated position from the second controller to the first controller;
determining the first compensated position of the mover with the first controller as a function of the first measured position and the second compensated position;
determining the second compensated position of the mover with the second controller as a function of the first compensated position and the second measured position;
controlling operation of the mover on the first track segment with the first controller as a function of the first compensated position;
and
controlling operation of the mover on the second track segment with the second controller as a function of the second compensated position.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/203,922Filed 29 Nov 2018
Published: US 2020/0171958 A14 Jun 2020
Granted: 8 Jun 2021
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

B60L 13/03
Electric propulsion for monorail vehicles, suspension vehicles or rack railways; Magnetic suspension or levitation for vehicles: electric…
B60L 13/10
Electric propulsion for monorail vehicles, suspension vehicles or rack railways; Magnetic suspension or levitation for vehicles: combination of…
B60L 15/005
For control of propulsion for monorail vehicles, suspension vehicles or rack railways; for control of magnetic suspension or levitation for…: for…
B60L 2200/26
Type of vehicles: rail vehicles

Family

US 2020/0171958 A1Pre-grant publication · published 4 Jun 2020
US 11,027,615 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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