Conveyor and a method of providing a driving force to a conveyor

摘要

The invention relates to a conveyor ( 100 ) that has a number of carts ( 102 ) moving along a track ( 101 ). A propulsion system for the conveyor comprises a stationary stator ( 411 ) which has a coil assembly. In addition the carts ( 102 ) have a reaction element ( 200 ) comprising a plurality of permanent magnets ( 203 ) mounted on a ferromagnetic carrier plate ( 201 ) thereby providing a magnetic field. A controller ( 607 ) controls the a supply of electrical power to the coil assembly such that a magnetic field is generated which interacts with that of the permanent magnets to provide a driving force.