# US 11,305,800 B2 · Controlled architecture for transport systems > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,305,800 B2 - Document ID: US11305800B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/861,393 - Filed: 2020-04-29 - Published: 2020-08-13 - Granted: 2022-04-19 - Earliest claimed: 2011-05-19 - Assignees: Rockwell Automation Limited - Applicants: Rockwell Automation, Inc. - Inventors: Glen C. Wernersbach; Keith G. Jacobs - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11305800B2 ## CPC - B65G 1/137: with arrangements or automatic control means for selecting which articles are to be removed - B60L 5/32: using fluid pressure - B60L 15/005: {for control of propulsion for vehicles propelled by linear motors} - B60L 15/38: with automatic control - B60L 2200/26: Rail vehicles - B60L 2200/40: Working vehicles - B61L 2210/02: Single autonomous vehicles - B61L 2210/04: Magnetic elevation vehicles [maglev] - B65G: TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS (packaging B65B; handling thin or filamentary materials, e.g. paper sheets or thread, B65H; cranes B66C; portable mobile or lifting or hauling appliances, e.g. hoists, B66D; devices for lifting or lowering goods for loading or unloading purposes, e.g. fork-lift trucks, B66F9/00; emptying bottles, jars, casks, barrels or similar containers, not otherwise provided for, B67C9/00; delivering or transferring liquids B67D; filling or discharging vessels for liquefied, solidified or compressed gases F17C; pipe-line systems for fluids F17D) - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES - B61L: GUIDING RAILWAY TRAFFIC; ENSURING THE SAFETY OF RAILWAY TRAFFIC (brakes or auxiliary equipment B61H, B61K; point or crossing construction E01B) ## Abstract Control architecture for use with transport systems, such as linear drive systems, rotary drive systems, or a combination thereof, comprising a computer system having a controller for operating control system software for receiving input commands and protocols for creating a motion profile for each transport element, and a gateway for receiving the motion profile from the control system software and for operating gateway drive software that functions to select the appropriate drives to move each transport element along one or more tracks in accordance with their motion profiles. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system comprising: a linear motor transport system comprising a linear motor track and a plurality of linear motor movers disposed and movable along the track; a rotary drive system; and control circuitry coupled to the linear motor transport system and to the rotary drive system and configured to receive motion profiles for each linear motor mover and for the rotary drive system as independent control axes, and to select and apply control signals to the linear motor transport system and to the rotary drive system to control components of the linear motor transport system and to the rotary drive system as independent control axes; wherein the control circuitry comprises a gateway that in operation executes gateway drive software to drive the linear motor transport system and the rotary drive system. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, comprising an operator workstation for inputting the motion profiles. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is configured to control and locate each of the plurality of linear motor movers to avoid interference between the linear motor movers along the track. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the linear motor track comprises a plurality of motor coils, and wherein the control circuitry is configured to control application of control signals to the plurality of motor coils to control movement of the linear motor movers along the track. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The system of claim 4, wherein the track forms a closed loop. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry locates the linear motor movers by reference to feedback data generated by a sensor system. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor system comprises passive elements carried by the linear motor movers and a series of static sensors along the continuous track. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry comprises first processor that generates the motion profiles, and a second processor that generates command signals for the linear motor transport system and to the rotary drive system based on the motion profiles. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the motion profiles are based upon information and/or instructions input by an operator. ### Claim 10 A system comprising: a linear motor transport system comprising a linear motor track and a plurality of linear motor movers disposed and movable along the track; a rotary drive system; an operator workstation for inputting information and/or instructions for motion profiles for components of the linear motor transport system and the rotary drive system; and control circuitry coupled to the linear motor transport system and to the rotary drive system and configured to the receive motion profiles as independent control axes, and to select and apply control signals to the linear motor transport system and to the rotary drive system to control components of the linear motor transport system and to the rotary drive system as independent control axes; wherein the control circuitry comprises a gateway that in operation executes gateway drive software to drive the linear motor transport system and the rotary drive system. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, comprising feedback control loops coupled to the control circuitry to determine positions of the components. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the control circuitry comprises multiple separate processors to generate the motion profiles, and to generate command signal for the linear motor transport system and to the rotary drive system based on the motion profiles. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the control circuitry is configured to control and locate each of the plurality of linear motor movers to avoid interference between the linear motor movers along the track. ### Claim 14 A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium having stored thereon processor-executable software instructions configured to cause one or more processors to perform operations comprising: accessing motion profiles for a plurality of linear motor movers of a linear motor transport system and for a rotary drive system as independent control axes; and generating control signals for the linear motor transport system and for a rotary drive system as independent control axes in accordance with the motion profiles; wherein the control signals are generated by control circuitry comprising a gateway that in operation executes gateway drive software to drive the linear motor transport system and the rotary drive system. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The medium of claim 14, wherein the motion profiles are defined by an operator. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The medium of claim 14, wherein the processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause the one or more processors to generate the motion profiles based upon information and/or instructions input by an operator on a workstation. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The medium of claim 14, wherein the processor-executable software instructions are executed on multiple separate processors to generate the motion profiles, and to generate command signal for the linear motor transport system and to the rotary drive system based on the motion profiles. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The medium of claim 14, wherein the processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause the one or more processors to apply the control signals to drive circuitry for the linear motor transport system and for a rotary drive system as independent control axes in accordance with the motion profiles. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The medium of claim 18, wherein the processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause the one or more processors to determine positions of components of the linear motor transport system and the rotary drive system based upon feedback control loops.