Abstract: In a transportation system of a floated-carrier type, a carrier is suspended from a guide rail, in a non-contact manner, and is proelled along the guide rail. The transportation system includes a plurality of track units, each having the ferromagnetic guide rail, an electrical wire, and a pair of connectors provided to both ends of the electrical wire. Each track unit comprises minimum and necessary elements required for traveling the carrier. When a connector of one track unit and that of the other track unit are connected, connection of electrical wires necessary for this system is completed. For this reason, an operation for mounting the electrical wires in the track can be omitted, and installation of the track can be facilitated. Furthermore, when the travel path of the carrier is to be modified, a combination of track units can be freely changed, thus realizing various travel paths of the carriers. For this reason, the travel path can be easily modified.

Abstract: In a transporting system for transporting cargo to a predetermined position, a carrier is located above rails and a first support plate is located under the rail and is coupled with the carrier by a pair of columns. A second support plate is rotatably coupled by a coupling mechanism. Four magnetic floating assemblies are so disposed on the first and second plates as to face the rails and a control unit is disposed on the first support plate. The carrier is floated by an attractive force produced between the rail and the magnet units of the assemblies. A gap sensor of each of the assemblies generates an output signal corresponding to a gap between the rails and the magnet unit and a current supplied to the magnet unit is also detected by a current detector. The outputs from the gap sensor and the current detector is fed as feedback signal to an operational circuit of the control unit.

Abstract: In a transporting system for transporting cargo to a predetermined position, a carrier is located above rails and a first support plate is located under the rail and is coupled with the carrier by a pair of columns. A second support plate is rotatably coupled by a coupling mechanism. Four magnetic floating assemblies are so disposed on the first and second plates as to face the rails and a control unit is disposed on the first support plate. The carrier is floated by an attractive force produced between the rail and the magnet units of the assemblies. A gap sensor of each of the assemblies generates an output signal corresponding to a gap between the rails and the magnet unit and a current supplied to the magnet unit is also detected by a current detector. The outputs from the gap sensor and the current detector is fed as feedback signal to an operational circuit of the control unit.

Abstract: A plurality of stators of a linear induction motor are arranged at predetermined intervals, and guide rails are mounted on an upper portion of a track frame having a U-shaped section. A levitated object is magnetically levitated below the track frame so as to freely travel along the guide rails. Magnetic support units having electromagnets for obtaining a levitating force, optical gap sensors for detecting gap lengths between the support units and the guide rails, i.e., deviations in a levitating direction, and optical gap sensors for detecting deviations in a guiding direction perpendicular to a traveling direction of the levitated object are respectively arranged on the four corners of the upper surface of the levitated object. The length of each magnetic support unit is larger than the width of each guide rail. Each magnetic support unit is disposed such that the inner ends of the unit and the guide rail are aligned, and the outer end of the unit extends outward from that of the guide rail.

Abstract: In a transportation system of a floated-carrier type, a carrier is suspended from a guide rail, in a non-contact manner, and is propelled along the guide rail. The transportation system includes a plurality of track units, each having the ferromagnetic guide rail, an electrical wire, and a pair of connectors provided to both ends of the electrical wire. Each track unit comprises minimum and necessary elements required for traveling the carrier. When a connector of one track unit and that of the other track unit are connected, connection of electrical wires necessary for this system is completed. For this reason, an operation for mounting the electrical wires in the track can be omitted, and installation of the track can be facilitated. Furthermore, when the travel path of the carrier is to be modified, a combination of track units can be freely changed, thus realizing various travel paths of the carrier. For this reason, the travel path can be easily modified.

Abstract: A plurality of stators of a linear induction motor are arranged at predetermined intervals, and guide rails are mounted on an upper portion of a track frame having a U-shaped section. A levitated object is magnetically levitated below the track frame so as to freely travel along the guide rails. Magnetic support units having electromagnets for obtaining a levitating force, optical gap sensors for detecting gap lengths between the support units and the guide rails, i.e., deviations in a levitating direction, and optical gap sensors for detecting deviations in a guiding direction perpendicular to a traveling direction of the levitated object are respectively arranged on the four corners of the upper surface of the levitated object. The length of each magnetic support unit is larger than the width of each guide rail. Each magnetic support unit is disposed such that the inner ends of the unit and the guide rail are aligned, and the outer end of the unit extends outward from that of the guide rail.

Abstract: In a transportation system of a floated-carrier type, a carrier is suspended from a guide rail, in a non-contact manner, and is propelled along the guide rail. The transportation system includes a plurality of track units, each having the ferromagnetic guide rail, an electrical wire, and a pair of connectors provided to both ends of the electrical wire. Each track unit comprises minimum and necessary elements required for traveling the carrier. When a connector of one track unit and that of the other track unit are connected, connection of electrical wires necessary for this system is completed. For this reason, an operation for mounting the electrical wires in the track can be omitted, and installation of the track can be facilitated. Furthermore, when the travel path of the carrier is to be modified, a combination of track units can be freely changed, thus realizing various travel paths of the carrier. For this reason, the travel path can be easily modified.

Abstract: In a transporting system, four magnetic units are mounted on corners of carrier and the carrier is suspended under rails by electromagnetic attractive forces acting between the magnetic units and the bottom section of the rails. Each of the magnetic unit has a permanent magnet and electromagnets and gap sensors are provided on the carrier to sense a gap between each magnetic unit and rail. A battery for supplying a current to the magnetic unit is mounted on the carrier 15. The carrier is floated in a zero steady-state power control mode, even when an external force is applied to the carrier by a zero steady-state power control circuit which maintain the steady-state current supplied to the magnetic unit to be substantially zero. The carrier is softly landed on the rail or started to move from the rail in response to an external command in a soft landing or a soft start mode by an actuating unit 67.

Abstract: A transporting system of floated carrier type including a guide rail having a bottom surface portion formed of a ferromagnetic material, a carrier arranged to be freely movable along the guide rail, at least one magnetic supporting unit placed on board the carrier and including electromagnets arranged so as to face the bottom surface portion of the guide rail via gap and a permanent magnet that is placed in the magnetic circuit formed by the electromagnets, the guide rail, and the gap, for supplying magnetomotive force required for floating the carrier. A sensor section is attached to the carrier for detecting changes in the magnetic circuit. The length of the gap is controlled by a zero power feedback loop that stabilizes the magnetic circuit in a state in which the current flowing in the electromagnets is zero, by controlling the exciting current in the electromagnets based on the output of the sensor section.

Abstract: A transportation system of a floated-carrier type according to the present invention has a guide rail cover extending in a longitudinal direction. The guide rail cover comprises a guide rail. A carrier is made to float, in a non-contact manner, from the guide rail, by means of floating device and is propelled along the guide rail by a transfer device. An electrical device and a battery for supplying a current thereto are mounted on the carrier. In this transportation system, a charging device is provided for charging the battery. The charging device comprises a first terminal connected to the battery, a charging power source located on the guide rail cover, and a second terminal, which is connected to the charging electric power source and can be brought into contact with the first terminal when the carrier is stopped at a predetermined position.

Abstract: A transportation system of a floated-carrier type according to this invention includes a carrier capable of running along guide rails with a cargo and load carried thereon. A magnetic unit is mounted on the carrier to float the carrier from the guide rails. A slowing-down device is provided to slow down the carrier when the carrier is just about to enter into a stop position. Projections of ferromagnetic material are provided on the side of predetermined portions of guide rails which the magnetic unit of the carrier confronts when the carrier is stopped in the stop position. The magnetic unit, together with the guide rails, establishes a magnetic circuit. The magnetic resistance in the magnetic circuit is smaller at the predetermined portions of the guide rails where the aforementioned projections are provided than at other portions of the guide rails.

Abstract: A transportation system of a floated-carrier type, according to the present invention, comprises a guide rail composed of main lines and branch lines, intersecting one another, a coupling section connecting the main and branch lines, and a carrier for carrying cargo, the carrier being capable of running along the guide rail. The carrier is suspended, in a non-contact manner, from the guide rail, by an electromagnetic attractive force. A transfer apparatus is provided at the coupling section. At the coupling section, the carrier, having so far been running along the main lines, is stopped, then rotated, then stopped from rotating when the carrier faces the branch lines, and then transferred to the branch lines, all in a non-contact manner. Thus, the mounting space of the transfer apparatus is small, and the carrier can be transferred from the main lines to the branch lines, without producing dust or noise.

Abstract: A transportation system of a floated-carrier type, according to the present invention, comprises a guide rail composed of main lines and branch lines, intersecting one another, a coupling section connecting the main and branch lines, and a carrier for carrying cargo, the carrier being capable of running along the guide rail. The carrier is kept floating, in a non-contact manner, from the guide rail, by means of an electromagnetic attractive force. A transfer apparatus is provided at the coupling section. At the coupling section, the carrier, having so far been running along the main lines, is stopped, and is then transferred from the coupling section to the branch lines, all in a non-contact manner. Thus, the mounting space of the transfer apparatus is small, and the carrier can be transferred from the main lines to the branch lines, without producing dust or noise.

Abstract: A carrier which transports semiconductor chips or the like can run along two rails made of a ferromagnetic material and extending along a running path. The carrier has four supports projecting from its bottom. Four magnets units are supported by the supports, respectively, and each magnet unit includes a permanent magnet and a pair of electromagnets such that the magnet units face the rails. The carrier is held floated with respect to the rails by electromagnetic forces acting between the magnet units and rails. The supports support four gap sensors which detect the gap between the magnet units and rails and produce an output signal corresponding to the gap. Magnetic flux control unit is provided on the underside of the carrier to control the current supplied to the electromagnets in accordance with the outputs of the gap sensors to maintain the gap constant within a predetermined range.

Abstract: A plurality of spaced drive means are disposed along a conveyance path for running a carriage along the conveyance path by a forward or reverse propelling force created by the drive means. A main power source and an auxiliary power source are provided for switching a power source from the main power source to the auxiliary power source when the former becomes faulty for running and stopping the carriage at a selected one of the drive means for the purposes of preventing the carriage from stopping at an intermediate point between adjacent drive means.