Abstract: Disclosed herein is a horizontal and vertical transportation system using permanent magnet excited transverse flux linear motors which is capable of linearly transporting an object in the horizontal direction and in the vertical direction using permanent magnet excited transverse flux linear motors, thereby obtaining a simple structure of the system and preventing any occurrence of dust generated by abrasion between the parts of the system. The system comprises a horizontal transportation unit and a vertical transportation unit. The horizontal transportation unit is adapted for transporting the object in the horizontal direction by means of a thrust from a permanent magnet excited transverse flux horizontal linear motor. The vertical transportation unit is installed on the horizontal transportation unit. The vertical transportation unit is adapted for transporting the object in the vertical direction by means of thrusts from permanent magnet excited transverse flux vertical linear motors.

Abstract: A water-cooled stator bar clip for electrical generators and a method for applying a corrosion-resistant protective coating, preferably Sc, Ti, Cr, Zr, Nb, Mo, Hf, Ta, W, Ni, and Al, and their alloys or oxides to existing stator bar end fittings in order to significantly reduce the possibility of leaks through the brazed connections of the copper stator bar end connections. The coatings can be applied locally using various known physical vapor deposition (“PVD”), chemical vapor deposition (“CVD”) or other direct coating techniques known in the art. For example, the coatings can be applied using ion plasma deposition, sputtering or wire arc techniques (all PVD processes) or by using electroplating, high velocity oxygen free (“HVOF”) deposition, DC arc or electroless plating. Preferably, the coatings are applied either to new stator bar clips or to existing clips in the field.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for supporting a movable member (10) with respect to a fixed member (40) is provided. The movable member (10) includes a magnetically permeable portion (81) contained therein and magnetic element (50) fixedly attached thereto and movable therewith. The movable member (10) is supported for rotation with respect to the fixed member (40) by an outer bearing surface (11) of the movable member and an inner bearing surface (20) of the fixed member (40). The fixed member (40) provides access to the movable member (10) from two sides thereof. A magnetically permeable stator element (70) is fixedly attached to the fixed member (40) and positioned within a magnetic flux field of the magnetic element (50) such that an air gap (73) is formed between the magnetic element (50) and the stator element (70).

Abstract: An oscillating motor has a rotor rotation of about ±15° from a rest position. The rotor has two salient poles which face a respective permanent magnet across a small air gap. The stator has a laminated stator core supporting the magnets and also two salient poles each supporting a stator coil. The stator poles confront the rotor across a small air gap between the rotor poles. When no current is flowing through the coils, the rotor rests in a rest position with the poles aligned between the north and south poles of the magnets. During operations, the stator coils induce like magnetic poles in the stator poles which in turn induce like magnetic poles in the rotor poles causing the rotor to swing towards opposite magnetic poles of the permanent magnets. When current flows in the reverse direction, the rotor swings to the opposite poles of the magnets.

Abstract: A high precision z-theta stage having a horizontal translation axis (z-axis) and a rotary axis (theta-axis) parallel with the translation axis comprises parallel spaced apart linear translation stages, a carriage supported between the parallel translation stages, and a rotation stage carried by the carriage between the parallel translation stages. Each brushless linear motor is connected to the carriage to apply translation forces in a horizontal plane intersecting the vertical center of gravity.

Abstract: A motor assembly 30 includes an electric motor 32 having a rotatable shaft 40, the shaft 40 having a worm 38; and a gear unit 33 operatively associated with the motor, the gear unit has first and second opposing ends. The gear unit 33 includes a gearwheel 36 operatively coupled with the worm 38 of the shaft 40 such that rotation of the shaft rotates the gearwheel. A driver 42 is operatively coupled with gearwheel so as to rotate therewith. The driver 42 is constructed and arranged to provide a driving member 43, 44 accessible at each of the first and second ends of the gear unit.

Abstract: An improved arrangement for operating a contact roller (7) and an associated method, characterized inter alia by the following features: a linear motor drive (14) is allocated to the contact roller (7) in order to change positon; a force adjustment device (400) is provided for the linear motor drive (14); a suitable sensor is also provied in order to determine speed or acceleration.

Abstract: A motor is disclosed that uses magnetic propulsion for generating movement along a travel path in which the motor controller is mounted onboard the thrust block, thereby reducing connections the need for a remote motor controller. The motor includes a thrust rod extending along a travel path. The thrust rod includes an array of magnets arranged along the travel path arranged to create magnetic fields spaced along the travel path for generating magnetic propulsion when electrical coils on the thrust block are energized. The thrust block comprising a mounting body, electrical coils, and the onboard motor controller. The block may integrally provide a bearing surface that slides along a rail that may also provide the mounting structure and main support for the motor. A encoder mounted to the thrust block with a scale mounted directly to guide rail is also provided.

Abstract: An electromagnetic drive type actuator comprises a movable plate having a flat surface, a support positioned around the movable plate, an elastic member connecting the movable plate with the support, wirings extending through the support, the movable plate, and the elastic member, and a magnetic field generator. The elastic member is elastically deformable and supports the movable plate so as to allow the movable plate to move in directions orthogonal to the flat surface of the movable plate. The wirings pass currents. The magnetic field generator generates a magnetic field in a space around the movable plate. The magnetic field has a direction parallel to the flat surface of the movable plate. The movable plate is moved in the directions orthogonal to the flat surface of the movable plate by a mutual effect between the currents flowing through the wirings and the magnetic field generated by magnetic field generator.

Abstract: A dual-function, three-axis positioning system having a high precision z-theta state with a horizontal translation axis (z-axis) and a rotary axis (theta-axis) parallel with the translation axis and a second horizontal translation axis (x-axis) comprises parallel spaced apart linear translation states, a first carriage supported between the parallel translation stages, and a rotation stage carried by the carriage between the parallel translation stages. A removable or permanently fixed second carriage is mounted on or being part of the first carriage.

Abstract: The invention provides an apparatus and a method for positioning an object coupled to a first support structure and a second support structure. A first actuator drives the first support structure along a first axis and a second actuator drives the first support structure along a second axis orthogonal to the first axis. A third actuator comprising a forcer and a stator is provided for driving the second support structure that is guided for movement relative to the first support structure along a third axis orthogonal to the first and second axes. The forcer is coupled to the second support structure and is movable with respect to the stator, and the stator is relatively stationary and decoupled from the second support structure.

Abstract: An actuator control apparatus is provided, capable of causing a state value which changes according to the action of an actuator to match a prescribed target value. A synchronizing mechanism is modeled as the collision of an inertial system object and an elastic system object, and taking as a state amount the deviation between the actual position (Psc) of a coupling sleeve and the target position (Psc_cmd), a computation coefficient (VPOLE) of a switching function used in sliding mode control which takes the state amount as a variable is, in a first process until the coupling sleeve makes contact with a synchronizer ring, set according to the actual position (Psc) of the coupling sleeve, and in a process until the coupling sleeve engages a synchronized gear, is set such that the pressing force of the coupling sleeve matches a target pressing force.

Abstract: A uniaxial drive unit is provided with a tiltable pulse generating device having a joystick, which generates a continuous pulse of a frequency corresponding to the tilt angle of the joystick, and a rotary encoder having a knob, which generates a pulse of a frequency corresponding to the turning speed of the knob and generates pulses of the number corresponding to the turning angle of the knob to drive a linear motor. High-speed and medium-speed operations are carried out by using the tiltable pulse generating device, and low-speed fine feed is carried out by using the rotary encoder.

Abstract: A linear motor includes tubular outer yoke (4), tubular inner yoke (3) disposed in outer yoke (4), coil (2) provided to inner yoke (3), permanent magnet (5a, 5b) vibrating following a magnetic flux produced by coil (2), and vibrator (6) made of magnetic material and supporting permanent magnets (5a, 5b). Magnetic loop produced by outer yoke (4) and inner yoke (3) travels through vibrator (6) free from interference by vibrator (6) because vibrator (6) is made of magnetic material. As a result, the linear motor vibrates efficiently.

Abstract: A linear motor including a coil, a plurality of first magnet groups having polar directions disposed in periodically different directions, and a plurality of second magnet groups having polar directions disposed in periodically different directions. In a set including a predetermined magnet of the first magnet groups and a magnet of the second magnet groups, corresponding to the predetermined magnet, magnetization directions of the set of magnets have mutually different tilts with respect to the central axis of the coil. The coil includes a first coil effective to produce a Lorentz's force between the first coil and the first magnet groups, and a second coil effective to produce a Lorentz's force between the second coil and the second magnet groups.

Abstract: The invention relates to an electromechanical linear drive, in particular for an injection moulding machine, comprising an electric motor with a hollow-shaft rotor, open on one side, with a subsequent screw gear which converts the rotational movement of the hollow-shaft rotor into a linear movement. The hollow-shaft rotor is supported on the motor housing, at the end thereof closed by a end wall, such as to rotate, by means of a central bearing spigot projecting axially from the end wall.

Abstract: A voice coil motor used, for example, in a positioning device associated with either a first object table or a second object table in which the coil is cooled with a cooling jacket in thermal contact with the coil, the cooling jacket comprising at least one channel for circulation of a cooling fluid, the or each channel being arranged such as to be substantially located in a portion of the cooling jacket adjacent to the coil, for use, for example, in a lithographic projection apparatus including a radiation system for supplying a projection beam of radiation, a first object table for holding a mask, a second object table for holding a substrate, a projection system for imaging irradiated portions of the mask onto target portions of the substrate. The cooling jacket may be formed of a ceramic material and may be of a monolithic construction.

Abstract: An electromagnetic drive motor assembly (EDMA) has at least one bridge that extends along a radial direction to conduct heat away from the magnetic gap and towards the outer surface of the EDMA. The EDMA includes a conductive ring between a first plate and a second plate. The conductive ring has an inner ring, an outer ring, and at least one bridge between the inner and outer rings. The inner ring is adapted to receive a voice coil such that the heat generated by the voice coil conducts through the inner ring, the bridge, and then to the outer ring. As such, a heat conducting path is provided within the EDMA to remove the heat away from the voice coil. This allows the EDMA to operate more efficiently. The EDMA may also include a flux return having a pole piece that protrudes from the first plate. The inner ring of the conducting ring may receive the pole piece to form an intermediate gap between the pole piece and the inner ring.

Abstract: A rotor construction may comprise a rotor with a centrally located permanent magnet section having aligned magnet segments and having a central hole throughout its length. A thin rod of magnetic steel is located in this central hole to support the permanent magnets from within. At each end of the rod are located threaded sections for attachment to supporting end stubs. A high strength steel sleeve is interference fit over both the magnets and the end stubs to provide a mechanical link from stub to stub. The guide rod insures that the end stubs and central magnet are concentric during initial processing, prevents relative motion between the rotor components and provides support for the magnet once the sleeve is installed.

Abstract: The modular conveyor system comprises N interconnected track sections, forming a continuous track, wherein each track section features a plurality of individually controlled coils stretching along the length thereof. Plural pallets, each having thrust producing magnets, travel independently alone the track. The track also comprises multiple linear encoder readers spaced at fixed positions therealong, and each pallet includes a linear encoder strip having a length R greater than the spacing E between the readers. Track section controllers associate the encoder strips with only one reader at any time in order to resolve the position of the pallets based on the fixed position of the readers and the relative positions of the strips in relation thereto. The section controllers also regulate and commutate the coils of the corresponding track sections in order to independently control each pallet. Communication links interface adjacent section controllers situated in adjacent track sections.