Brian Keith Perreault DeceasedWorcester, MA

6499701, Dec 31, 2002

Jul 3, 2000

09/609124

Richard D. Thornton - Concord MA
Brian M. Perreault - Stow MA
Tracy M. Clark - Bedford MA

MagneMotion, Inc. - Acton MA

B61L 100

246194, 246 1 C

Inductive transfer methods and structures combine, in a single system, at least two of the three functions of transferring power, communicating data, and sensing position with a vehicle on a guideway. A set of conductors is installed on the guideway to inductively couple a multiplicity of diverse signals with a corresponding set of conductors on the vehicle. The vehicle may be moving or stationary, and signals may be coupled in one or both directions. Coupling is effected without direct electrical contact, through a common region or gap, and the structures provide suitable and precise air gap control for the conductors effecting coupling of each signal. In addition, the windings are arranged with a topology and/or symmetry to cancel crosstalk between different signals.

2013000, Jan 10, 2013

Jun 7, 2012

13/490995

Jason A. Young - Marlborough MA, US
P. Eric Malkowski - Lancaster MA, US
Brian M. Perreault - Stow MA, US
Michael F. Onorato - Acton MA, US

MagneMotion, Inc. - Devens MA

B60L 13/03

104292

Control of Linear Synchronous Motors involves a number of low level issues of motor control—such as sensing precise position, controlling current in stator windings, and obeying commands from high level controllers—and high level vehicle control—such as stopping and starting, switching and merging, limiting speed and acceleration, synchronizing relative motion, preventing collisions and accidents, and dealing with failures. In most cases there is a master controller that directs vehicles based on simple commands but in other cases it is desirable to allow an external agent to provide more detailed control—such as synchronizing motion between a vehicle and a robot or allowing human operator control. This patent describes a versatile control scheme that allows both simplified high level control and, when or where necessary, control by an external agent. The result is a transport system and method that provides efficient and precise movement of vehicles on a guideway.

2013007, Mar 28, 2013

Sep 20, 2012

13/623124

Brian M. Perreault - Stow MA, US
Tracy M. Clark - Devens MA, US
Richard D. Thornton - Concord MA, US
Jason Young - Marlborough MA, US
Michael W. Bottasso - Maynard MA, US
Jesse Mendenhall - Brookline NH, US

MAGNEMOTION, INC. - Devens MA

E01B 25/34
B60L 13/03

10413002

The invention provides in some aspects a transport system comprising a guideway with a plurality of propulsion coils disposed along a region in which one or more vehicles are to be propelled. One or more vehicles are disposed on the guideway, each including a magnetic flux source. The guideway has one or more running surfaces that support the vehicles and along which they roll or slide. Each vehicle can have a septum portion of narrowed cross-section that is coupled to one or more body portions of the vehicle. The guideway includes a diverge region that has a flipper and an extension of the running surface at a vertex of the diverge. The flipper initiates switching of vehicle direction at a diverge by exerting a laterally directed force thereon.

6011508, Jan 4, 2000

Oct 31, 1997

8/961632

Brian M. Perreault - Stow MA
Tracy M. Clark - Bedford MA

MagneMotion, Inc. - Acton MA

G01S 170
B61L 100
G08G 1123

342350

The invention provides guideway-based methods, apparatus and systems for tracking, sensing and communicating with objects, such as track and roadway vehicles, as well as waystations therefore. Such a system comprises a winding, a transmitter and a receiver. The winding is made up of two or more phased conductors connected to form one or more closed current paths. The phased conductors are conductive elements (such as wires) shaped or configured in periodically repeating patterns, such as saw tooths, sinusoids or square waves. The transmitter applies to at least one of the phased conductors a position-sensing signal which has an envelope that varies as a periodic function of a first position along (or relative to) the winding. The sensor, which is disposed at a second position along the winding, detects the position-sensing signals on the winding and generates a signal indicating the distance between the first and second positions. That distance signal is a function and, specifically, a superposition, of the position-sensing signals carried by the multiple phased conductors at the second position.

2022025, Aug 11, 2022

Apr 28, 2022

17/731763

- Milwaukee WI, US
Brian M. Perreault - Stow MA, US
Tracy M. Clark - Devens MA, US
Richard D. Thornton - Concord MA, US
Jason Young - Devens MA, US
Michael W. Bottasso - Maynard MA, US
Jesse Mendenhall - Brookline NH, US

B60L 13/10
E01B 25/34
B60L 13/03
B60L 13/00
B60L 15/00

The invention provides in some aspects a transport system comprising a guideway with a plurality of propulsion coils disposed along a region in which one or more vehicles are to be propelled. One or more vehicles are disposed on the guideway, each including a magnetic flux source. The guideway has one or more running surfaces that support the vehicles and along which they roll or slide. Each vehicle can have a septum portion of narrowed cross-section that is coupled to one or more body portions of the vehicle. The guideway includes a diverge region that has a flipper and an extension of the running surface at a vertex of the diverge. The flipper initiates switching of vehicle direction at a diverge by exerting a laterally directed force thereon. The extension continues switching of vehicle direction at the diverge by contacting the septum. Still other aspects of the invention provide a transport system, e.g., as described above, that includes a merge region with a flipper and a broadened region of the running surface. The flipper applies a lateral force to the vehicle to alter an angle thereof as the vehicle enters the merge region, and the broadened region continues the merge by contacting the septum of the vehicle, thereby, providing further guidance or channeling for the merge. The flipper, which can be equipped for full or partial deployment, is partially deployed in order to effect alteration of the vehicle angle as the vehicle enters the merge.

2021037, Dec 2, 2021

Aug 13, 2021

17/401544

- Mayfield Heights MA, US
Brian M. Perreault - Stow MA, US

B60L 3/00
B60L 15/38
B60L 15/00

An improved system for preventing collisions between movers while improving throughput in a linear drive system utilizes a continually variable vehicle length for each mover. A vehicle length is assigned to each mover, where the vehicle length is a minimum track length required by the vehicle to avoid physically contacting a neighboring vehicle along the track. The vehicle length for each mover is then determined for each location along the track based on both the track geometry and the mover geometry. The vehicle length is continually variable along the length of the track allowing movers to be positioned as close together as possible for each location along the track based on both the track geometry and the mover geometry. The continually variable vehicle length provides collision prevention between movers while increasing throughput of movers along segments of the track that do not require the largest spacing between movers.

2021026, Aug 26, 2021

Feb 26, 2020

16/802095

- Mayfield Heights OH, US
Brian M. Perreault - Stow MA, US

B65G 43/00
B65G 25/06

An independent mover transport system and related method. The system comprises a mover having an axis, and a track. The track includes first and second track segments, and a controller operative to drive a first coil of the first track segment to control movement of the mover along the first track segment towards the second track segment. The controller is further operative to define a first zone for the first track segment, define a second zone for the first track segment, drive the first coil to control movement of the mover with the first set of controller gain values when the location of the axis is in the first zone, and drive the first coil to control movement of the mover with second set of controller gain values when the location of the axis is in the second zone.

2021013, May 6, 2021

Jan 18, 2021

17/151387

- Mayfield Heights OH, US
Brian M. Perreault - Stow MA, US
Eric J. Wildi - Lexington MA, US

G01D 18/00
G01D 5/14

A system automatically calibrates gains and/or offsets for each position feedback signal in order to reduce variations between position feedback signals for each sensor in a linear drive system. As a mover travels along a track segment, the segment controller records the position feedback signal output from each position sensor corresponding to a magnet on the mover passing the position sensor. The segment controller periodically monitors the position feedback values generated by one mover as it travels along the track segment and automatically updates the sensor gains as a function of a ratio of a target peak value to a measured peak value of the position feedback signal. The segment controller also records the position feedback signal from each sensor when no mover is traveling past the sensor. The segment controller periodically monitors the position feedback values received when no mover is present and automatically updates sensor offset values.