JP5489080B2 - Linear motor and stage device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a linear motor capable of linearly moving in a multi-axis direction and a stage apparatus using the linear motor.

  In order to move a workpiece, a tool, a product, etc. at high speed and with high accuracy, and to perform positioning and alignment adjustment, a stage apparatus capable of linear motion in multiple axes is used. Conventionally, as a stage apparatus operable in such a multi-axis direction, an apparatus in which two motors for an X axis and a Y axis in a two-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system are mounted in one stage apparatus has been proposed ( For example, see Patent Document 1).

JP-A-5-316712

  The stage device of the above prior art includes an X-axis motor having a field consisting of an electric element made of a winding and a magnet, and a Y-axis motor similarly having a field made of an electric element made of a winding and a magnet. The X-axis motor and the Y-axis motor are linked to each other, thereby realizing a linear motion operation in the X-axis and Y-axis directions.

  However, since the X-axis motor and the Y-axis motor are separately mounted, there is a problem that the apparatus becomes large and the weight increases.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a linear motor that can be reduced in size and weight, and a stage apparatus using the linear motor.

To achieve the above object, a linear motor according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a magnet fixing plate , a field having a plurality of magnetic poles arranged along the first direction on the magnet fixing plate , and one of the magnet fixing plates . A first armature that is disposed to face the side surface and has a plurality of first windings for generating a propulsive force between the field and the first direction, and the magnet fixing plate disposed opposite to the surface on the other side, a has a plurality of the second winding to generate a propulsive force in the second direction perpendicular to said first direction between said field magnet Two armatures, wherein any one of the field, the first armature, and the second armature is a stator, and the other is a mover.

  The linear motor according to the present invention includes a field and a first armature disposed opposite to one side of the field, and is along a first direction generated between the field and the first armature. The field force and the first armature are relatively moved forward and backward along the first direction by the propulsive force. Further, the linear motor of the present invention includes a second armature disposed opposite to the other side of the field, and by a propulsive force along the second direction generated between the field and the second armature, The field and the second armature are relatively moved back and forth along the second direction. Accordingly, any one of the field, the first armature, and the second armature is a stator, and the other is a mover, so that the mover is linearly moved in the biaxial directions of the first and second directions. It is possible to operate.

  With such a configuration, the field used for driving in the first direction and the field used for driving in the second direction can be shared. As a result, compared to the case where a field and an armature are separately provided for driving in each of the first and second directions, one field is not necessary, so that the arrangement space can be reduced and the motor can be downsized. be able to. Moreover, since the number of parts is reduced, the weight of the motor can be reduced and the manufacturing process can be simplified.

  In the linear motor according to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, when n is a natural number, the field magnet is a magnetic pole array composed of a plurality of the magnetic poles arranged along the first direction. The first armature includes a plurality of the first windings arranged along the first direction, and the second armature includes a second winding array arranged along the direction. 2n rows are arranged along the direction, and the second armature has a second winding row composed of a plurality of the second windings arranged along the first direction. It is characterized by being arranged in n rows along the direction.

  Of the second winding constituting the second armature, the portion contributing to the propulsive force along the second direction generated between the field and the second armature is orthogonal to the second direction which is the propulsion direction. This is only the portion along the first direction. Therefore, by arranging n rows of second windings of the second armature along the second direction and arranging 2n rows of magnetic field magnetic pole rows along the second direction, The magnetic pole can be efficiently opposed to the portion along the first direction (located on both sides in the second direction) in the second winding. Thereby, a high driving force can be obtained along the second direction between the field and the second armature. In particular, when n is 1, that is, when the first armature row of the first armature and the field magnetic pole row are arranged in two rows, and the second armature row of the second armature is arranged in one row, High propulsive force can be obtained with the minimum magnetic pole and winding configuration, and the most efficient configuration can be obtained.

  Further, by making the number of the magnetic field magnetic pole rows equal to the number of the first winding row of the first armature, the first magnetic armature is aligned along the first direction generated between the field and the first armature. As for the propulsive force, a high propulsive force can be obtained.

  A linear motor according to a third aspect is the linear motor according to the first or second aspect, wherein the field magnets are arranged at equal intervals as the plurality of magnetic poles so that the polarities are alternated along the first direction. It is characterized by having a permanent magnet.

  In a linear motor having a field composed of a plurality of permanent magnets, the field used for driving in the first direction is shared with the field used for driving in the second direction, and one field is generated. By making it unnecessary, permanent magnets made of rare metal can be reduced. This makes it possible to improve recyclability, save resources, and reduce costs.

Linear motor of the fourth invention, in the third invention, before Symbol magnet fixing plate is characterized by being composed of a nonmagnetic material.

  In the configuration in which the first armature is disposed on one side of the field and the second armature is disposed on the other side, and the field is shared, it is necessary to form magnetic fields on both sides of the one side and the other side of the field. . According to the present invention, since the field has the permanent magnet and the magnet fixing plate, and the magnet fixing plate is made of a nonmagnetic material, the magnet fixing plate does not block the magnetic field generated by the permanent magnet. Thereby, it is possible to realize a configuration in which the magnetic field is reliably formed on both sides of the one side and the other side of the field, and the field is shared.

  A linear motor according to a fifth invention is the linear motor according to any one of the first to fourth inventions, wherein the first armature has the first winding fixed by resin molding, and the second armature is a resin. The second winding fixed by molding is provided.

  By resin-molding the first winding and the second winding, the winding can be protected and the insulation can be improved. Further, since the rigidity and vibration resistance of the first armature and the second armature can be improved by resin molding of the winding, the reliability of the linear motor can be improved.

  A linear motor according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the linear motor according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the linear motor is provided between the field and the first armature, and the first of the field and the first armature. A first guide member for guiding advancing and retreating movement along the direction, and the second direction between the field and the second armature, provided between the field and the second armature. And a second guide member for guiding advancing and retreating movement along the line.

  By the first guide member and the second guide member, the advance and retreat movement along the first direction between the field and the first armature and the advance and retreat movement along the second direction between the field and the second armature. Can be carried out smoothly and stably.

  In order to achieve the above object, a stage apparatus according to a seventh aspect of the invention is characterized in that the linear motor according to any of the first to sixth aspects of the invention is used as a drive source for a linear motion mechanism.

  By using a linear motor that can be reduced in size and weight by using a common field as a drive source for the linear motion mechanism, a stage device that can be reduced in size and weight can be realized.

  According to the present invention, the linear motor and the stage device can be reduced in size and weight.

It is a top view which represents notionally the structure of the linear motor of this embodiment. It is a sectional side view by the II-II section in Drawing 1 showing notionally the composition of the linear motor of this embodiment. It is a top view which represents notionally the structure of the linear motor of a comparative example. It is a sectional side view by the IV-IV section in Drawing 3 showing notionally the composition of the linear motor of a comparative example. It is a sectional side view equivalent to the II-II cross section in FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  A conceptual configuration of the linear motor 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a top view conceptually showing the configuration of the linear motor of the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a side sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. 1 conceptually showing the configuration of the linear motor of the present embodiment. . In the following description, the horizontal direction in FIGS. 1 and 2 is the X-axis direction in the two-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system, and the vertical direction in FIG. 1 and the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the linear motor 1 has a field 10, an X-axis armature 20 for generating a propulsive force along the X-axis direction, and a propulsive force along the Y-axis direction. And a Y-axis armature 30 for generation.

  The field 10 has a plurality of magnetic poles 11 arranged at equal intervals so that the polarities are alternated along the X-axis direction. Specifically, two magnetic pole rows 12 including a plurality (three in this example) of magnetic poles 11 arranged along the X-axis direction are arranged in a plane along the Y-axis direction. In the present embodiment, the magnetic pole 11 is composed of a permanent magnet, and is fixedly arranged on the X-axis armature 20 side of the magnet fixing plate 13. The magnet fixing plate 13 is made of a nonmagnetic material such as stainless steel or aluminum so as to form a magnetic field by the magnetic pole 11 on both sides of the field 10. The magnetic pole 11 may be composed of an electromagnet.

  The X-axis armature 20 is disposed on one side of the field 10 (the back side in the drawing in FIG. 1 and the lower side in FIG. 2) so as to have a predetermined clearance with respect to the field 10. The X-axis armature 20 includes a plurality of X-axis windings 22 arranged at equal intervals along the X-axis direction on the field 10 side of the X-axis winding fixed body 21. Two line rows 23 are arranged in a plane along the Y-axis direction. The X-axis winding array 23 is disposed at a position corresponding to the magnetic pole array 12 of the field 10.

  The Y-axis armature 30 is arranged on the other side of the field 10 (the front side in FIG. 1 and the upper side in FIG. 2) so as to have a predetermined clearance with respect to the field 10. The Y-axis armature 30 includes a plurality of (three in this example) Y-axis windings arranged at equal intervals along the X-axis direction on the field 10 side of the Y-axis winding fixing body 31. A Y-axis winding row 33 composed of 32 is arranged in one row along the Y-axis direction. The Y-axis winding row 33 is a portion that contributes to the propulsive force along the Y-axis direction in each Y-axis winding 32, that is, a short side that is located at both ends of each Y-axis winding 32 in the Y-axis direction. The part 32 a is arranged so as to be located at the substantially central part in the Y-axis direction of the magnetic pole 11 of the field 10. Thereby, the magnetic field generated by the magnetic pole 11 and the current flowing in the X-axis direction through the short side portion 32a can be efficiently orthogonalized, and the Y-axis direction is provided between the field 10 and the Y-axis armature 30. High driving force can be obtained.

  Between the field 10 and the X-axis armature 20, an X-axis guide member 41 for guiding the movement of the field 10 and the X-axis armature 20 along the X-axis direction is X The shaft winding 22 is provided on both sides in the Y-axis direction. In addition, a Y-axis guide member 42 is provided between the field 10 and the Y-axis armature 30 to guide the advancing and retreating movement of the field 10 and the Y-axis armature 30 along the Y-axis direction. The Y-axis winding 32 is provided on both sides in the X-axis direction.

  In the linear motor 1 having the above configuration, the field 10 and the X-axis armature 20 are moved in the X-axis direction by the propulsive force along the X-axis direction generated between the field 10 and the X-axis armature 20. Moves forward and backward relatively along. Further, the field 10 and the Y-axis armature 30 are relatively advanced and retracted along the Y-axis direction by the propulsive force generated along the Y-axis direction between the field 10 and the Y-axis armature 30. To do. Thus, any one of the field 10, the X-axis armature 20 and the Y-axis armature 30 is a stator, and the other is a mover, so that the mover is in the two-axis directions of the X axis and the Y axis. Can move directly.

  For example, when the X-axis armature 20 is a stator, the field 10 is linearly operated in the X-axis direction, and the Y-axis armature 30 is linearly operated in the X-axis and Y-axis directions. Can do. At this time, the range in which the field 10 can operate in the X-axis direction is a range in which the X-axis winding 22 is arranged in the X-axis armature 20 and the Y-axis armature 30 operates in the Y-axis direction. The possible range is a range in which the short side portion 32a of the Y-axis winding 32 faces the magnetic pole 11 of the corresponding field 10 (a range facing the single magnetic pole 11). Therefore, for example, the main movement of workpieces, tools, products, etc. is performed by movement in the X-axis direction, which can be moved for a relatively long distance, and the positioning and alignment adjustment are performed by movement in the Y-axis direction, which is a relatively short distance. Etc. can be performed.

  In the above, the X-axis direction corresponds to the first direction described in the claims, and the Y-axis direction corresponds to the second direction. The X-axis armature 20 corresponds to the first armature, the X-axis winding 22 corresponds to the first winding, and the X-axis winding row 23 corresponds to the first winding row. The Y-axis armature 30 corresponds to the second armature, the Y-axis winding 32 corresponds to the second winding, and the Y-axis winding row 33 corresponds to the second winding row. The X-axis guide member 41 corresponds to the first guide member, and the Y-axis guide member 42 corresponds to the second guide member.

  Here, before describing the effects of the present embodiment described above, a comparative example for describing the effects of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3 is a top view conceptually showing the configuration of the linear motor of the comparative example, and FIG. 4 is a side sectional view taken along the IV-IV section in FIG. 3 conceptually showing the configuration of the linear motor of the comparative example. 3 and 4 correspond to FIGS. 1 and 2 described above. For convenience of comparison, the same reference numerals as those in the present embodiment are used for the same parts in the comparative example.

  The linear motor 1 ′ of the comparative example is the same as the linear motor 1 of the present embodiment in that the mover can be linearly moved in two directions of the X axis and the Y axis. And the Y-axis field are provided separately from the linear motor 1 of the present embodiment. That is, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the linear motor 1 ′ in the comparative example includes a field 50 and an X-axis armature 20 ′ for generating a propulsive force along the X-axis direction, and a Y-axis direction. And a Y-axis armature 30 'for generating a propulsive force along the axis.

  The field magnet 50 has a plurality (three in this example) of magnetic poles 51 arranged at equal intervals on the X-axis armature 20 ′ side of the magnet fixing plate 53 so as to alternate in polarity along the X-axis direction. Is fixedly arranged. The magnetic poles 51 are formed wider than the magnetic poles 11 in the Y-axis direction, and only one row is arranged in the Y-axis direction. Further, the X-axis armature 20 'is disposed so as to face one side of the field 50 (the back side in the drawing in FIG. 3 and the lower side in FIG. 4), and the X-axis winding fixed body 21 has the field 50 side. In addition, a plurality of X-axis windings 22 'are fixedly arranged at equal intervals along the X-axis direction. The X-axis winding 22 'is formed wider in the Y-axis direction than the above-described X-axis winding 22, and only one row is arranged in the Y-axis direction. The field 50 and the X-axis armature 20 ′ having such a configuration constitute the X-axis motor 2.

  Similarly, a plurality of field magnets 60 (eight in this example) are arranged at equal intervals on the Y-axis armature 30 'side of the magnet fixing plate 63 so that the polarities alternate along the Y-axis direction. A magnetic pole 61 made of a permanent magnet is fixedly arranged. The magnetic poles 61 are formed wider than the magnetic poles 11 in the X-axis direction, and only one row is arranged in the X-axis direction. Further, the Y-axis armature 30 ′ is disposed opposite to the other side of the field 60 (the front side in FIG. 3 and the upper side in FIG. 4), and on the field 60 side of the Y-axis winding fixed body 31. A plurality of (three in this example) Y-axis windings 32 'are fixedly arranged at equal intervals along the Y-axis direction. The Y-axis winding 32 'is formed wider in the X-axis direction than the above-described Y-axis winding 32, and only one row is arranged in the X-axis direction. The field 60 and the Y-axis armature 30 ′ having such a configuration constitute the Y-axis motor 3.

  The magnet fixing plate 53 of the field 50 and the magnet fixing plate 63 of the field 60 are made of a magnetic material such as iron so that the magnetic fields generated by the magnetic pole 51 and the magnetic pole 61 do not interfere with each other, and are joined to each other. As a result, the linear motor 1 ′ has a structure in which the X-axis motor 2 and the Y-axis motor 3 are integrally mounted. By linking these X-axis motor 2 and Y-axis motor 3, A linear motion in two directions, the axis and the Y axis, is realized. However, the linear motor 1 ′ of the comparative example has a configuration in which the X-axis motor 2 and the Y-axis motor 4 are individually mounted, so that there is a problem that the apparatus becomes large and the weight increases.

  On the other hand, the linear motor 1 according to the present embodiment has the above-described configuration, so that the field 10 used for driving in the X-axis direction and the field used for driving in the Y-axis direction are combined with the field 10. Can be shared. As a result, as compared with the case where the field and the armature are separately provided for driving in each direction of the X axis and the Y axis as in the above comparative example, one field is not necessary, so that the arrangement space can be reduced. The motor can be reduced in size. Moreover, since the number of parts is reduced, the weight of the motor can be reduced and the manufacturing process can be simplified.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, in the Y-axis winding 32 constituting the Y-axis armature 30, the propulsive force along the Y-axis direction generated between the field 10 and the Y-axis armature 30. The contributing portion is only the short side portion 32a that is a portion along the X-axis direction orthogonal to the Y-axis direction that is the propulsion direction. Accordingly, one Y-axis winding array 33 of the Y-axis armature 30 is arranged along the Y-axis direction, and two magnetic pole arrays 12 of the field 10 are doubled along the Y-axis direction. By disposing, the magnetic pole 11 can be efficiently opposed to the short side portions 32a located on both sides in the Y-axis direction in each Y-axis winding 32. Thereby, a high driving force can be obtained along the Y-axis direction between the field 10 and the Y-axis armature 30. In particular, as in the above-described embodiment, two X-axis winding rows 23 of the X-axis armature 20 and two magnetic pole rows 12 of the field 10 and Y-axis winding rows 33 of the Y-axis armature 30 are provided. When arranged in a single row, it is possible to obtain a high driving force with the minimum magnetic pole and winding configuration, and the most efficient configuration can be obtained. Further, by making the number of the magnetic pole rows 12 of the field 10 equal to the number of the X-axis winding rows 23 of the X-axis armature 20, the field 10 and the X-axis armature 20 are arranged. A high propulsive force can also be obtained for the propulsive force generated along the X-axis direction.

  In the present embodiment, the field 10 has a magnetic pole 11 made of a permanent magnet. As described above, in the linear motor 1 including the field 10 having a plurality of permanent magnets, the field used for driving in the X-axis direction and the field used for driving in the Y-axis direction are made common. By eliminating the need for a field, permanent magnets made of rare metal can be reduced. This makes it possible to improve recyclability, save resources, and reduce costs.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, the magnet fixing plate 13 of the field 10 is made of a nonmagnetic material. Thereby, the magnetic fixing plate 13 does not block the magnetic field generated by the magnetic pole 11, and the magnetic field can be reliably formed on both sides of the field magnet 10 on one side and the other side. As a result, the X-axis armature 20 can be arranged on one side of the field 10 and the Y-axis armature 30 can be arranged on the other side, so that the field 10 can be shared.

  In this embodiment, in particular, the X-axis guide member 41 is provided between the field 10 and the X-axis armature 20, and the Y-axis guide member is provided between the field 10 and the Y-axis armature 30. 42 is provided. The X-axis guide member 41 and the Y-axis guide member 42 allow the field 10 and the X-axis armature 20 to move forward and backward along the X-axis direction, and the field 10 and the Y-axis armature 30. Advancing and retreating along the Y-axis direction can be performed smoothly and stably.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and technical idea of the present invention. Hereinafter, such modifications will be described in order.

(1) When the winding is resin-molded FIG. 5 is a side sectional view corresponding to the section II-II in FIG. 1 conceptually showing the configuration of the linear motor of this modification. As shown in FIG. 5, in this modified linear motor 1A, the X-axis winding 22 of the X-axis armature 20 is fixed by resin molding (fixed resin is indicated by reference numeral 43). Similarly, the Y-axis winding 32 of the shaft armature 30 is fixed by resin molding (fixed resin is denoted by reference numeral 44).

  According to this modification, the X-axis winding 22 and the Y-axis winding 32 are resin-molded to protect the windings and improve the insulation. Further, since the rigidity and vibration resistance of the X-axis armature 20 and the Y-axis armature 30 can be improved by resin molding of the winding, the reliability of the linear motor 1A can be improved.

(2) When applying a linear motor to a stage apparatus That is, you may use the linear motor 1 of the said embodiment, and the linear motor 1A of the modification of said (1) as a drive source of the linear motion mechanism in a stage apparatus. Hereinafter, an example of such a stage apparatus will be described. The stage device is composed of a linear motor that can move on a fixed base, a stage disposed above the linear motor, a linear guide that includes a slider and a guide rail provided on the fixed base side and the linear motor side, respectively. Has been. The linear motor of this stage apparatus is comprised from the linear motor 1 of the said embodiment, or the linear motor 1A of the modification of said (1). In the stage apparatus configured as described above, the stage can be driven in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction by driving the linear motor. That is, the linear motor is used as a drive source for the linear motion mechanism in the stage device. By using the linear motors 1 and 1A, which can be reduced in size and weight by using a common field as described above, as a drive source of the linear motion mechanism, a stage device that can be reduced in size and weight can be realized.

(3) Others In the above, the X-axis winding row 23 of the X-axis armature 20 and the magnetic pole row 12 of the field 10 are two rows, and the Y-axis winding row 33 of the Y-axis armature 30 is one row. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the X-axis winding row 23 and the magnetic pole row 12 are even rows (2n row: n is a natural number), and the Y-axis winding row of the Y-axis armature 30 is not limited thereto. 33 may be arranged so that the number of columns is an even half (n columns: n is a natural number). Even in this case, the magnetic pole 11 can be efficiently opposed to the short side portion 32 a of each Y-axis winding 32, and the high propulsion along the Y-axis direction is between the field 10 and the Y-axis armature 30. You can gain power.

  Note that the X-axis winding row 23 and the magnetic pole row 12 do not necessarily have to be even-numbered rows and may be odd-numbered rows. In this case, since there is at least one magnetic pole row 12 that does not contribute to the propulsive force in the Y-axis direction, the efficiency is reduced as compared with the case of the even row, but the size reduction due to the common use of the field, The lightening effect can be obtained.

  In addition to those already described above, the methods according to the above-described embodiments and modifications may be used in appropriate combination.

  In addition, although not illustrated one by one, the present invention is implemented with various modifications within a range not departing from the gist thereof.

1 linear motor 1A linear motor 10 field 11 magnetic pole 12 magnetic pole array 13 magnet fixing plate 20 X-axis armature (first armature)
22 X-axis winding (first winding)
23 X-axis winding row (first winding row)
30 Y-axis armature (second armature)
32 Y-axis winding (second winding)
33 Y-axis winding row (second winding row)
41 X-axis guide member (first guide member)
42 Y-axis guide member (second guide member)

Claims (7)

A magnet fixing plate and a field having a plurality of magnetic poles arranged along the first direction on the magnet fixing plate ;
A first armature having a plurality of first windings disposed opposite to one surface of the magnet fixing plate and generating a propulsive force along the first direction with the field. When,
A plurality of second windings disposed opposite to the other surface of the magnet fixing plate and for generating a propulsive force between the field and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. A second armature having a wire,
Any one of the field, the first armature, and the second armature is a stator, and the other is a mover. When n is a natural number, the field is
A magnetic pole row composed of a plurality of the magnetic poles arranged along the first direction is arranged in 2n rows along the second direction,
The first armature is
A first winding row composed of a plurality of the first windings arranged along the first direction is arranged in 2n rows along the second direction;
The second armature is
2. The second winding row comprising a plurality of the second windings arranged along the first direction is arranged in n rows along the second direction. The linear motor described. The field is
3. The linear device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of magnetic poles include a plurality of permanent magnets arranged at equal intervals so that polarities alternate along the first direction. 4. motor. Before Symbol magnet fixing plate,
The linear motor according to claim 3, wherein the linear motor is made of a nonmagnetic material. The first armature is
Having the first winding fixed by resin molding,
The second armature is
5. The linear motor according to claim 1, comprising the second winding fixed by resin molding. 6. A first guide member provided between the field and the first armature, for guiding advance and retreat movement of the field and the first armature along the first direction;
A second guide member provided between the field magnet and the second armature, for guiding the advancing and retreating movement of the field magnet and the second armature along the second direction; The linear motor according to claim 1, wherein the linear motor is provided. A stage apparatus using the linear motor according to claim 1 as a drive source of a linear motion mechanism.

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