A transport system 10 C has a configuration to move a transport body 500 in conjunction with movement of a moving body 200 by using repulsion based on a magnetic force applied between moving body magnets 213 and a transport body magnet 523 when there is a proximal positional relation between these magnets. The transport system 10 C includes a control coil 903 that controls a traveling state of the moving body 200, and a coil drive control unit that drives and controls the control coil. The control coil 903 is configured to apply a magnetic force to the moving body magnets 213. The coil drive control unit supplies the control coil 903 with power to cause the control coil 903 to attract the moving body magnets 213 against an air flow flowing within an air blowing tube 100 in order to control and prevent the moving body 200 from traveling.

A conveyor system includes a moving stage, a track, a control circuit and a driver. The moving stage has a plurality of magnets and an optical scale. The track carries the moving stage and includes a first work area provided with a plurality of Hall sensor modules and a second work area provided with the Hall sensor modules and a read head module. When the moving stage is in the first work area, the Hall sensor module generates a first sensing signal. When the moving stage is in the second work area, the Hall sensor module generates the first sensing signal and the read head module generates a second sensing signal. The control circuit determines the position of the moving stage based on the first sensing signal and the second sensing signal, and generates a driving signal. The driver drives the coil windings according to the driving signal.

A conveyor control system detects imbalances in a multi-drive conveyor belt and institutes a corrective action to rectify the imbalances. A sensor detects imbalances by measuring gaps between consecutive conveyor modules near a drive for the conveyor belt. A controller can initiate an alarm or automatically modify one or more drives to correct a detected imbalance.

A belt conveyor and a method for determining an energy consumption of a belt conveyor on a basis of conveyor belt segments or on a basis of installation sections of the belt conveyor. The belt conveyor has at least one drive for driving a conveyor belt formed of conveyor belt segments. The belt conveyor has a control device, which is fed signals of a first sensor system for sensing the energy consumption of the drive and of a second sensor system for sensing a loading that can be assigned to a section of the conveyor belt and of a third sensor system for detecting connecting sections between conveyor belt segments. The control device determines an energy consumption on the basis of installation sections and/or conveyor belt segments.

This invention relates to a method for feeding magnetic objects in a stream which are singulated each from the next in a supply path where there is provided a series of electromagnets which provides a sequence of magnetic fields along the supply path to direct the magnetic objects by the series of electromagnets in a required direction toward a required location. The method can be used for carrying out an operation on a workpiece by interaction of the objects as individual tools with the workpiece including sorting, shaping, material removal, physical modification, chemical modification, addition of material cutting, polishing, abrading peening and addition of energy. A lubricant/purge material is supplied to the workpiece to arrive at different times relative to the tools.

A machine handling device for handling a sheet-metal workpiece includes a control device that comprises two sensing elements, and a testing station that includes a testing device configured to test functional capability of the control device. The testing device includes a respective electrically conductive testing-contact body for each of the two sensing elements of the control device. The testing station further includes a testing-evaluation device configured to apply a testing voltage between the respective sensing element and the corresponding testing-contact body. The testing-evaluation device includes a testing-measuring unit and a testing-comparing unit. The testing-measuring unit is configured to measure an actual value of a contact-dependent electrical variable that is dependent on a state of an electrically conducting contact between the sensing element and the testing-contact body. The testing-comparing unit is configured to compare the actual value of the contact-dependent electrical variable with a reference value of the contact-dependent electrical variable.

A linear motor system may include a plurality of track sections that may enable a mover to traverse a track formed by the plurality of track sections. The system may also include a plurality of connection modules, such that each connection module of the plurality of connection modules may physically couple two respective adjacent track sections of the plurality of track sections and communicatively couple the two respective adjacent track sections of the plurality of track section. Each connection module may also electrically couple the two respective adjacent track sections of the plurality of track section.

Provided is a conveyor belt wear monitoring system including a non-contact sensor arranged facing a surface of an upper cover rubber. A distance to the surface of the upper cover rubber is detected using the non-contact sensor in a predetermined range in a belt width direction of the upper cover rubber of the traveling conveyor belt. An amount of wear of the upper cover rubber is obtained by comparing the detection data with pre-stored reference data.

A multi-mover direct drive transmission system, including: stator unit formed by stator segments and includes frame and coil windings; mover units movable relative to the stator unit and each includes mover slidably connected to the stator unit and movable relative to the frame, and magnet fixed to the mover; and actuators. The magnet is arranged opposite to and spaced from the coil winding, and the coil winding drives the magnet to drive the mover. The frame includes feedback segments and transition segments. The stator unit further includes hall elements. The hall element outputs a hall signal according to a magnetic field variation detected. The actuator calculates an electrical angle and calculates a drive current, the coil winding drives the magnet to move to realize position correction. The multi-mover direct drive transmission system has a simple structure, a small number of components, and is simple and easy-to-implement the motion control method.

A system for selecting one of multiple paths in a linear drive system includes track segments having a first drive member and at least one mover having a second drive member for the linear drive system. Each mover includes a drive surface oriented toward the track segment when the at least one mover is driven along the track. Each mover also includes a first channel and a second channel extending along the drive surface. A switch track segment includes a first path and a second path along which the at least one mover may travel, at least one first pin positioned along the first path, and at least one second pin positioned along the second path. The first and second pins are extendable to engage the first and second channels of the at least one mover to direct the mover along either the first path or the second path, respectively.