Magnetic levitation transport using a parallel dipole line track system is provided. In one aspect, a magnetic levitation transport system includes: a dipole line track system having: i) multiple segments joined together, each of the multiple segments having at least two diametric magnets, and ii) at least one diamagnetic object levitating above the at least two diametric magnets. A method for operating a magnetic levitation transport system is also provided.

A drive arrangement for moving a body along a path with respect to first and second media guides, the first media guide conveying a medium at a first velocity along the path and the second media guide conveying the medium at a second velocity different to the first velocity along the path, the drive arrangement being configured to (a) interact with the medium of the first media guide so as to extract energy therefrom and thereby develop a reaction force against the first media guide for driving the body to move along the path, and (b) interact with the medium of the second media guide by means of energy extracted from the medium of the first media guide so as to develop a reaction force against the second media guide for driving the body to move along the path.

In order to improve control of a long-stator linear motor, a first measured value is ascertained in a first measurement section and a second measured value is ascertained in a second measurement section, in each case along a transport path in a movement direction. The first measurement section overlaps, in the movement direction, the second measurement section in an overlap region, and the first measured value and the second measured value represent the same actual value of a physical quantity. An operating parameter of the long-stator linear motor determined based on a deviation occurring between the first measured value and the second measured value.

The invention provides in some aspects a transport system comprising a guideway with a plurality of propulsion coils disposed along a region in which one or more vehicles are to be propelled. One or more vehicles are disposed on the guideway, each including a magnetic flux source. The guideway has one or more running surfaces that support the vehicles and along which they roll or slide. Each vehicle can have a septum portion of narrowed cross-section that is coupled to one or more body portions of the vehicle. The guideway includes a diverge region that has a flipper and an extension of the running surface at a vertex of the diverge. The flipper initiates switching of vehicle direction at a diverge by exerting a laterally directed force thereon. The extension continues switching of vehicle direction at the diverge by contacting the septum. Still other aspects of the invention provide a transport system, e.g., as described above, that includes a merge region with a flipper and a broadened region of the running surface. The flipper applies a lateral force to the vehicle to alter an angle thereof as the vehicle enters the merge region, and the broadened region continues the merge by contacting the septum of the vehicle, thereby, providing further guidance or channeling for the merge. The flipper, which can be equipped for full or partial deployment, is partially deployed in order to effect alteration of the vehicle angle as the vehicle enters the merge.

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.

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.

A controller for an independent cart system simplifies programming and automatically adapts operation each mover travelling along a track. The controller includes a configuration table defining segments of the track, which includes a maximum velocity and/or a maximum acceleration for each mover within the segment. A motion command for a mover commands motion across multiple segments between the starting point and the ending point. As the mover travels, the controller receives a position feedback signal corresponding to the present location of the mover. The controller obtains the maximum velocity and/or maximum acceleration for the mover corresponding to the segment in which it is located. The controller automatically adjusts the speed and/or acceleration of the mover along the segment in which it is presently located. As the mover transitions between segments, the controller automatically adjusts the speed and/or acceleration according to the new segment in which the mover is located.

The invention provides in some aspects a transport system comprising a guideway with a plurality of propulsion coils disposed along a region in which one or more vehicles are to be propelled. One or more vehicles are disposed on the guideway, each including a magnetic flux source. The guideway has one or more running surfaces that support the vehicles and along which they roll or slide. Each vehicle can have a septum portion of narrowed cross-section that is coupled to one or more body portions of the vehicle. The guideway includes a diverge region that has a flipper and an extension of the running surface at a vertex of the diverge. The flipper initiates switching of vehicle direction at a diverge by exerting a laterally directed force thereon. The extension continues switching of vehicle direction at the diverge by contacting the septum. Still other aspects of the invention provide a transport system, e.g., as described above, that includes a merge region with a flipper and a broadened region of the running surface. The flipper applies a lateral force to the vehicle to alter an angle thereof as the vehicle enters the merge region, and the broadened region continues the merge by contacting the septum of the vehicle, thereby, providing further guidance or channeling for the merge. The flipper, which can be equipped for full or partial deployment, is partially deployed in order to effect alteration of the vehicle angle as the vehicle enters the merge.

An improved system for preventing collisions between movers while improving throughput in a linear drive system utilizes a continually variable vehicle length for each mover. A vehicle length is assigned to each mover, where the vehicle length is a minimum track length required by the vehicle to avoid physically contacting a neighboring vehicle along the track. The vehicle length for each mover is then determined for each location along the track based on both the track geometry and the mover geometry. The vehicle length is continually variable along the length of the track allowing movers to be positioned as close together as possible for each location along the track based on both the track geometry and the mover geometry. The continually variable vehicle length provides collision prevention between movers while increasing throughput of movers along segments of the track that do not require the largest spacing between movers.

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.