A control device, linear drive, production- or packaging machine, computer program product and method for controlling movement of at least one rotor in the linear drive, wherein a user or a machine station specifies the movement pattern to the control device to specify the movement, where the specified movement pattern is associated with virtual axes, particularly via the computer program product, the movement pattern is advantageously automatically associated with virtual axes subsequently associated with real axes, a control unit, i.e., a converter, controls movement of the rotor on the segment of the linear drive and the control unit supplies at least one segment with electrical voltage or current, where the segments as part of the linear drive therefore move the rotors in accordance with the specifications of the movement pattern, where such an association occurs automatically, and the user is relieved of this task during specification of the movement pattern.

A linear motor system includes: a stator including first to tenth coils; a mover including a permanent magnet; a switcher that switches one or more power supply target coils; and first to tenth amplifiers provided in one-to-one correspondence with first to tenth coils. One or more amplifiers that serve as new one or more power supply target amplifiers immediately after the switching calculate Δθ (t0), which is a position deviation at time t=t0, based on Δθ (t0)=Δθ (t0−td)+A−B, where A is a difference between an instructed position at time t=t0 and an instructed position at time t=t0−td, and B is a difference between an actual position at time t=t0 and an actual position at time t=t0−td, and supply power to the power supply target coils by the position deviation Aθ (t0).

A plurality of sequentially consecutive sections of a linear drive are each controlled case by a respective control device that is assigned to a respective section of the plurality of sequentially consecutive sections, where converters that are controlled by the respective control device each individually apply current to a subsection of the respective section, and collectively to the respective section, control devices each specify new desired values to the converters they control, the respective control device controls each respective convertor of a plurality of converters, and where the control devices communicate, via respective peer-to-peer interfaces having real-time capability, with a number of other control devices that control sections.

A system and method for monitoring disturbance forces experienced by a mover in an independent cart system monitors current generated by a controller and a feedback signal corresponding to operation of the mover in response to the current generated by the controller. The controller stores a value of the current reference and of the feedback signal, sampled in tandem, and determines a disturbance force experienced by the mover as it travels along the track as a function of the stored values of the current reference and of the feedback signal. The controller may store the measured disturbance force experienced by the mover as a function of the location of the mover along the track. For each subsequent time the mover travels along the same length of track, the controller may add a compensation value to the current reference to reduce the disturbance force experienced by the mover.

A linear motor system includes: a stator including first to tenth coils; a mover including a permanent magnet; a switcher that switches one or more power supply target coils; and first to tenth amplifiers provided in one-to-one correspondence with first to tenth coils. One or more amplifiers that serve as new one or more power supply target amplifiers immediately after the switching calculate Δθ (t0), which is a position deviation at time t=t0, based on Δθ (t0)=Δθ (t0−td)+A−B, where A is a difference between an instructed position at time t=t0 and an instructed position at time t=t0−td, and B is a difference between an actual position at time t=t0 and an actual position at time t=t0−td, and supply power to the power supply target coils by the position deviation Δθ (t0).

An independent cart system with safety functions prevents unintended motion independently within different sections of the track while permitting motion along other sections of the track. A safety controller receives one or more input signals corresponding to operating conditions along the track. A safety program executing in the safety controller monitors the state of the input signals to determine whether a safety function is to be executed. When a safety program is executed, the safety controller transmits an output signal to one or more segment controllers present in one section along the track. Each segment controller is responsible for regulating current flow to the coils mounted to the corresponding track segment. In response to the signal from the safety controller, each segment controller in the section controls the power output to the coils along that section of track to achieve the safe operation desired in that segment.

In an electromagnetic transport system, a transport route is divided into transport sections, each including at least one transport segment. A section control unit is assigned to each transport section, and a segment controller is assigned to each transport segment. A logistics unit, specifies a destination of the transport units to the section control units via the logistics network. Section control units are connected to the segment controllers of associated transport segments via a segment network and are designed to; determine a track section for the associated transport section from the destination, determine target values using the track section and to transmit the target values to the segment controllers via the segment network. Segment controllers supply current to drive coils using target values and occurring actual values to generate a magnetic field which interacts with drive magnets of the transport units to move the transport units.

An independent cart system with safety functions that prevent unintended motion independently within different sections of the track while permitting motion along other sections of the track is disclosed. A safety controller receives one or more input signals corresponding to operating conditions along the track. A safety program executing in the safety controller monitors the state of the input signals to determine whether a safety function is to be executed. When a safety program is executed, the safety controller transmits an output signal to one or more segment controllers present in one section along the track. Each segment controller is responsible for regulating current flow to the coils mounted to the corresponding track segment. In response to the signal from the safety controller, each segment controller in the section controls the power output to the coils along that section of track to achieve the safe operation desired in that segment.

A system and method for monitoring disturbance forces experienced by a mover in an independent cart system monitors current generated by a controller and a feedback signal corresponding to operation of the mover in response to the current generated by the controller. The controller stores a value of the current reference and of the feedback signal, sampled in tandem, and determines a disturbance force experienced by the mover as it travels along the track as a function of the stored values of the current reference and of the feedback signal. The controller may store the measured disturbance force experienced by the mover as a function of the location of the mover along the track. For each subsequent time the mover travels along the same length of track, the controller may add a compensation value to the current reference to reduce the disturbance force experienced by the mover.

A method for open-loop and/or closed-loop control of a linear drive, a linear drive; and a system, wherein the linear drive includes at least one segment, at least one rotor, at least one machine station and a control device, where the at least one rotor is moved in a direction via the at least one segment, at least a portion of at least one segment is within a region accessible by the machine station, the movement of the at least one rotor is controlled in an open-loop and/or closed-loop manner by the control device and/or control unit, the controlling occurs in accordance with a movement pattern for the rotor, and where the movement of a particular rotor in the region accessible by the associated machine station is specified by a movement profile in accordance with the mode of operation of the associated machine station.