Passive Maglev Carrier Control with Consideration of Pitch Motion

This research aims to develop core technologies for passive carrier (no power in carrier itself) transfer system. The technologies are passive levitation, propulsion, and guidance, which can be great benefits for semiconductor and display manufacturing industries. Passive maglev carrier is necessary to precise position control for quiet and stable transfer operation. However, the structural characteristics of carrier and the installation errors of gap sensors cause the pitch motion. Hence, the controller design in consideration of pitch motion is required. This study deals with the reduction control of carrier pitch motion. PDA controller and PDA controller with pitch control are proposed to compare the pitch angle analysis. The pitch angle and the levitation precision are measured by experiment. Finally, the optimized design of pitch controller is presented and the effects are discussed.