Rockwell Automation MagneMotion MagneMover LITE Installation and operating instructions

MagneMover LITE User Manual Addendum,
Wide Vehicles
Original Instructions

MagneMover LITE User Manual Addendum,
Wide Vehicles
MMI-UM034B-EN-P Page 2 of 31
Although every effort is made to keep this document accurate and up-to-date, MagneMotion®
assumes no responsibility for any errors, omissions, or inaccuracies. Information that is
provided in this document is subject to change without notice. Any sample code that is
referenced in this document or included with MagneMotion software is included for
illustration only and is, therefore, unsupported.
This product is protected under one or more U.S. and International patents. Additional U.S.
and International patents are pending.
Copyright © 2020, 2021 MagneMotion, Inc., a Rockwell Automation Company. All Rights
Reserved.
The information that is included in this document is proprietary or confidential to Rockwell
Automation, Inc. Any disclosure, reproduction, use, or redistribution of this information by
or to an unintended recipient is prohibited.
MagneMotion, Inc.
A Rockwell Automation Company
139 Barnum Road
Devens, MA 01434
USA
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
rok.auto/ict

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Wide Vehicles
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Contents
Overview................................................................................................................................... 5
Related Documents ............................................................................................................. 5
Theory of Operation.................................................................................................................. 6
Wide Vehicle Support............................................................................................................... 7
Track Layouts ..................................................................................................................... 7
Supported and Unsupported Layouts............................................................................ 8
Calculating the Length of Straight Motors between Curves....................................... 13
Vehicles on Non-adjacent and Parallel Paths ............................................................. 14
Clearance Distance...................................................................................................... 15
Mitigating Vehicle Interference.................................................................................. 15
Startup Considerations...................................................................................................... 16
Motion Considerations...................................................................................................... 16
MagneMover LITE Configurator User Manual Addendum................................................... 17
Motor Defaults .................................................................................................................. 17
Vehicle ........................................................................................................................ 18
Diverge Node .................................................................................................................... 21
Merge Node ...................................................................................................................... 23
Merge-Diverge Node ........................................................................................................ 25
Node Clearance Distances and Entry Gate Positions ............................................................. 27
Troubleshooting ...................................................................................................................... 29
Revision History ..................................................................................................................... 30
Rockwell Automation Support ............................................................................................... 31
Figures
Figure 1: Specification of Rectangular Vehicle Geometry....................................................... 7
Figure 2: Interference of Vehicles More Than Two Motors Apart .......................................... 8
Figure 3: Interference of Vehicles More Than Two Motors Apart Corrected.......................... 8
Figure 4: Interference of Vehicles on Improperly Spaced Non-sequential Paths..................... 9
Figure 5: Properly Spaced Non-sequential Paths...................................................................... 9
Figure 6: Example of Zero-length Straight between Two Curves Using Small Vehicle........ 10
Figure 7: Examples of Unsupported Track Layouts for the Vehicle Size Specified .............. 10
Figure 8: Example of Unsupported Startup Position .............................................................. 11
Figure 9: Switch Entry Gates and Clearances......................................................................... 11
Figure 10: Vehicle Extension in Curves ................................................................................. 12

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Figure 11: Vehicle Rotary Motion.......................................................................................... 12
Figure 12: Specification of Rectangular Vehicle Geometry................................................... 13
Figure 13: Calculation for Straight Motor, Curve Motor, Straight Motor.............................. 13
Figure 14: Calculation for Curve Motor, Straight Motor, Curve Motor................................. 14
Figure 15: Calculation for Curve Motor, Straight Motor, Opposite Curve Motor ................. 14
Figure 16: Using Configuration and Controls to Mitigate Unsupported Areas...................... 15
Figure 17: MagneMover LITE Configurator Utility .............................................................. 17
Figure 18: Motor Defaults Page, Vehicle Section – Linear Vehicle ...................................... 18
Figure 19: Motor Defaults Page, Vehicle Section – Rectangular Vehicle ............................. 18
Figure 20: Vehicle Sizing ....................................................................................................... 19
Figure 21: Vehicle Width Warning......................................................................................... 19
Figure 22: Diverge Node Page................................................................................................ 21
Figure 23: Exit Path Length Warning..................................................................................... 21
Figure 24: Entry Gate Distance Warning................................................................................ 22
Figure 25: Merge Node Page .................................................................................................. 23
Figure 26: Merge-Diverge Node Page.................................................................................... 25
Figure 27: Node Clearance Distance and Entry Gate Position for Switch ............................. 28
Figure 28: Entry Gate Dimensions ......................................................................................... 28
Figure 29: Node Clearance Distance Dimensions .................................................................. 28
Tables
Table 1 Troubleshooting ......................................................................................................... 29

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Wide Vehicles
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Overview
The Wide Vehicle feature allows the creation and use of vehicles or payloads that are wider
than the MagneMover®LITE (MM LITE™) track. This feature also supports vehicles or
payloads that are not centered over the vehicle (puck).
This document also describes the changes to the MM Configurator Utility to support this
feature.
Related Documents
This document references the following manuals:
•MagneMover LITE Configurator User Manual, 990000558.
NOTE: Distribution of this manual and all addendums and attachments are not controlled.
Changes to the document set or the software can be made at any time. To identify
the current revisions or to obtain a current version, see Rockwell Automation
Support on page 31.

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Wide Vehicles
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Theory of Operation
MagneMover LITE motors use the vehicle geometry, among other functions, to control the
spacing between adjacent vehicles on the track. In the current MM LITE systems, vehicle
geometry is specified only as a longitudinal length, and is applied along the centerline of the
travel path. This geometry specification provides the correct spacing for vehicles along a
straight path when the actual vehicle length is used. On curved paths, a longer length must be
used to account for the effects of the width of a vehicle, which causes extra space between
vehicles on a straight path.
This new feature simplifies the configuration of the system while allowing for more optimal
packing of pucks than the current method achieves. MagneMover LITE systems typically use
a rectangular vehicle. This new feature allows specifying the geometry of the vehicle as a set
of rectangular boundaries. These boundaries allow setting the center of the vehicle offset
from the center of the vehicle (puck or tandem puck).
When using the (potentially offset) rectangular geometry, the MagneMover LITE system
performs all necessary calculations to provide proper spacing of vehicles without collision in
both curves and straight sections of track (including straight sections near the curves). There
is no need to worry about the geometry of movement, all that is required is to specify the
rectangular geometry of the vehicle and design a compatible track geometry.
The MM LITE system does not support wide vehicle in the following situations:
•When running the MM LITE system in simulation mode, vehicles are spaced based only
on their length. The configured width of the vehicle is not used for spacing the vehicles.
•When using the Track Graphics window in the NCHost utility, vehicles are always
displayed as pucks, not at their configured size.

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Wide Vehicles
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Wide Vehicle Support
The supported vehicle lengths and widths are between one puck length ~66 mm [2.6 in] and
425 mm [16.7 in]. The dimensions are centered on the vehicle (puck or tandem puck). For
anti-collision control, the system assumes that the shape of the vehicle is rectangular and fits
within a bounding box with maximum dimensions of 425 mm by 425 mm [16.7 in by
16.7 in] centered on the vehicle (puck or tandem puck). Dimensions are specified as shown
in Figure 1, with all four specified values between 0 mm and 212.5 mm [8.37 in].
Figure 1: Specification of Rectangular Vehicle Geometry
Track Layouts
There are specific track layout configurations where the MM LITE system can calculate the
spacing that is required for the vehicles on the track. Examples of the configurations are
shown in Supported and Unsupported Layouts on page 8. However, certain track layout
configurations exist where the system cannot calculate the spacing that is required, and
therefore cannot make sure that vehicles do not collide.
When configuring a track layout, the Configurator displays a warning if the width of the
vehicle is greater than the radius of a curved motor. In this case, review the track layout to
make sure that there is enough space between parallel paths to allow vehicles to move
without colliding.
When configuring a track layout, design it to either eliminate or mitigate those areas where
the system cannot calculate the spacing that is required. This mitigation can be accomplished
by changing the layout by either adding extra motors or physically moving those sections of
the track. Single Vehicle Areas and Keepout Areas can be used to make sure that only one
vehicle at a time enters areas where collisions could occur. One way to provide traffic control
is to use stations to limit the number of vehicles within certain sections of the track.

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Wide Vehicles
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Supported and Unsupported Layouts
The MM LITE transport system now has limited knowledge of the track geometry in specific
cases, as described here and shown in the following examples.
•Vehicles clear the permission area of a motor while the center of the next vehicle is
over a motor that is not more than two motors distant along a vehicle route.
•A vehicle with its center on a motor cannot physically interfere with a vehicle with
movement permission on another motor two or fewer sequential motors away.
Figure 2 shows an example where a longer straight section is required between the curves
due to vehicle-to-vehicle interference. This interference includes the interference due to puck
rotation within the constraints of the rails (since the puck is not perfectly constrained as
shown in Figure 11). By adding a second motor between the curves, as shown in Figure 3,
this layout creates an allowed track topology with no vehicle-to-vehicle interference.
Vehicle
Vehicle
Path 1
Figure 2: Interference of Vehicles More Than Two Motors Apart
Vehicle
Vehicle
Path 1
Figure 3: Interference of Vehicles More Than Two Motors Apart Corrected
Once a vehicle gets beyond a certain size, straight motors must be inserted between any two
curves as shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3. The length of the straight motors that are required

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Wide Vehicles
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depends on the four parameters that specify the geometry of the vehicle. For the purposes of
track geometry, and the number of motors away, two ¼-meter motors can be treated as one
½-meter motor.
This restriction on the track geometry also covers the case where vehicles on non-sequential
paths can interfere with one another as shown in Figure 4. Because the paths are non-
sequential, the system has no knowledge of potential interference between the paths. In this
case, the transport system designer must physically move the paths farther apart to avoid
collisions as shown in Figure 5.
Path 1
Path 4
Vehicle
Vehicle
Figure 4: Interference of Vehicles on Improperly Spaced Non-sequential Paths
Path 1
Path 4
Vehicle
Vehicle
Figure 5: Properly Spaced Non-sequential Paths

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Wide Vehicles
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For paths with curves, the curve motors may require straight motors between them to make
sure that any vehicle that moves through the curve does not collide with any other vehicle in
the curve. Straight motors are not needed when sufficiently small vehicles on continuous
curves do not interfere with each other. An example of a standard puck (66 mm [2.6 in] by
66 mm [2.6 in]) on an MM LITE system is shown in Figure 6.
Puck
Puck
Path 1
Figure 6: Example of Zero-length Straight between Two Curves Using Small Vehicle
Figure 7 provides examples where there are insufficient straight motor sections between the
curve motors for the given vehicle size.
Path 1 Path 1
Vehicle
Vehicle
Vehicle
Vehicle
Figure 7: Examples of Unsupported Track Layouts for the Vehicle Size Specified

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There are cases where vehicle positions during startup are such that when one vehicle moves
away from the other, one of its corners can collide with the other vehicle. For instance, when
two short wide vehicles are positioned next to a curve and the inside vehicle width is greater
than the curve. If the vehicle next to the curve is ordered in the direction of the curve, its
inside corner swings back and contacts the other vehicle as shown in Figure 8. This contact
occurs even though the center of the vehicle moves away from the other vehicle.
Figure 8: Example of Unsupported Startup Position
For switches, no vehicle can be located on the straight section of the switch such that it
interferes with a vehicle on the curve section of the switch. This is accomplished by requiring
the straight section of the switch be connected to straight motors of sufficient length on both
ends. Entry Gates and Node Clearances are used to make sure that the curve motor in a
switch is clear from interference as shown in Figure 9. See Node Clearance Distances and
Entry Gate Positions on page 27 for a description of gates and clearances.
Vehicle
Vehicle
Exclusion Zone
Vehicle MovementExclusion Borders
Clearance Locations
Entry Gate Locations
Figure 9: Switch Entry Gates and Clearances
Path 1
Vehicle
Vehicle
c
Vehicle
c
Vehicle
cl
cle
cl
cle
cl
Vehicle
c
le
l
icle
c
cle
cl
e
e
cle
c
e
e
Vehicle
c
le
c
icle
c

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Wide Vehicles
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When vehicles move through a curve, the corners of the vehicle extend past the width of the
vehicle while turning as shown by the dashed lines in Figure 10.
Figure 10: Vehicle Extension in Curves
Vehicles in motion can rotate a small amount within the confines of the rails on the motor,
which makes their effective length and width larger than their actual length and width. The
dashed lines in Figure 11 show this rotary motion, which must be accounted for by using the
equations when calculating the clearance distances shown in the following examples. This
motion must also be accounted for when creating transport system layouts with parallel
paths.
The equations for rotational correction in Figure 11 are to be used in the calculations that are
provided in this document:
•Nominal rotation tolerance, ‘c’ is typically 3.0° for single pucks.
•Width and length, 1, 2, 1, 2 are the configured values (from the configurator).
Figure 11: Vehicle Rotary Motion
Vehicle
Vehicle Extension
Through Curves
1=1 cos()+max(1,2)sin()+
2=2cos () + max(1,2)sin() + 
1=1 cos()+max(1,2)sin()+
2=2cos () + max(1,2)sin () + 

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Calculating the Length of Straight Motors between Curves
The equations in the following figures provide a method to determine the required length of
the straight motors located between curve motors. All motion in the figures is downstream as
indicated in the figure. Figure 12 provides an example of the terminology that is used in the
equations. The terminology for motor identification represents straight and curve motors (ex.
Curve to the Left, Straight, Curve to the Right is noted as L-S-R).
Figure 12: Specification of Rectangular Vehicle Geometry
R is the radius of the curve motor, which is taken from the center of motion on the motor.
For curve motors and the curve section of a switch, the radius is always 125 mm.
Lsis the minimum length for the straight motor, which can be 0 meaning that there is no
need for a straight motor at that location.
In Figure 13, Lsis the minimum length for the straight motor following the curve when the
width of the vehicle on the inside of the curve exceeds the radius of the curve. Lscan be less
than or equal to 0, which means that there is no need for a straight motor at that location. Use
the formulas to determine the minimum straight motor length to make sure that the vehicle
does not collide with a vehicle following it. This motor calculation excludes the vehicle
rotation as shown in Figure 11.
Figure 13: Calculation for Straight Motor, Curve Motor, Straight Motor
Downstream
Vehicle
w1
l2
l1
w2
S-R-S 

=
2
−R + 
2
S-L-S =1−R + 2

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In Figure 14, Lsis the minimum length for the straight motor between the two curve motors
that curve in the same direction when the width of the vehicle on the inside of the curve
exceeds the radius of the curve. Lscan be 0, which means that there is no need for a straight
motor at that location. Use the formulas to determine the straight motor length to make sure
that the vehicle does not collide with a vehicle following it. This motor calculation excludes
the vehicle rotation as shown in Figure 11.
Figure 14: Calculation for Curve Motor, Straight Motor, Curve Motor
In Figure 15, Lsis the minimum length for the straight motor between two curve motors that
curve in opposite directions when the width of the vehicle on the inside of either curve
exceeds the radius of the curve. Lscan be 0, which means that there is no need for a straight
motor at that location. Use the formula to determine the straight motor length to make sure
that the vehicle does not collide with a vehicle following it. This motor calculation excludes
the vehicle rotation as shown in Figure 11.
Figure 15: Calculation for Curve Motor, Straight Motor, Opposite Curve Motor
Vehicles on Non-adjacent and Parallel Paths
Vehicles on non-adjacent and parallel paths must not be able to interfere with each other as
shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5.
Vehicle
w1
l2
l1
w2
Downstream
Vehicle
w1
l2
l1
w2
Downstream
R-S-R >�(2− )2+2
2+�(2− )2+1 2
L-S-L >�(1− )2+2
2+�(1− )2+1 2
> max(1,2)+max(1,2)− 

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Clearance Distance
All vehicles must be entirely clear of a motor module when the center of the vehicle is no
further than two motor modules away. For this case only, two consecutive ¼-meter straight
modules can be considered one ½-meter module as shown in Figure 3.
Some simple mathematical checks can help with this qualification. For instance, the
separation between two parallel paths must be at least a distance (center-to-center) of
W1+ W2as shown in Figure 5. This motor calculation must include the vehicle rotation and
movement through curves as shown in Figure 11.
Mitigating Vehicle Interference
Figure 16 provides an example of using a Single Vehicle Area and stations to make sure that
only one vehicle at a time is traveling on a section of track. Figure 16 provides an example of
traffic control by using stations and Single Vehicle Areas to limit the number of vehicles
within certain sections of the track. Keepout Areas can also be used to make sure that only
one vehicle at a time can enter an area where collisions could occur.
Vehicle
Vehicle
Vehicle
Single
Vehicle
Area
Traffic Control Area
Station 1
Station 2
Figure 16: Using Configuration and Controls to Mitigate Unsupported Areas

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Wide Vehicles
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Startup Considerations
For robust startup operations, it is important that the configured vehicle length, not the
physical vehicle length, be shorter than the path where it is located during startup. For
example, a vehicle that is 300 mm long must not be started on a path that only consists of one
¼ meter or curve motor.
Collision prevention is only supported for vehicles that are started up in locations where the
system would move them during normal operation. There are conditions under which
manually located vehicles can collide after startup:
•Two vehicles on different paths of a switch, which are both within the gate protection
area (see Figure 9).
•Two wide vehicles next to a curve (see Figure 8).
Motion Considerations
Vehicle motion can become erratic when using wide vehicles due to the inertia created by the
wide vehicle as it enters and exits curves or the curve section of switches. This erratic motion
can cause a vehicle with a large offset payload to get stuck in a standard switch or take the
wrong path through a standard switch
The larger the payload on a vehicle, especially vehicles with large amounts of mass at the
edges of the vehicles, the larger the inertia. This larger inertia causes more erratic motion
through both curve motors and the curve section of switches. This erratic behavior becomes
worse as the mass or velocity is increased.
MagneMotion recommends the use of a high-payload switch in applications where this type
of erratic motion is observed.

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Wide Vehicles
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MagneMover LITE Configurator User Manual Addendum
This section is an addendum to the MagneMover LITE Configurator User Manual and
describes additions to the Configurator User Interface for support of wide vehicles.
Support for the changes that are described in this section starts with the following
MMConfigTool version:
•MagneMotion Configurator for MM LITE – 13.2.8.
Figure 17: MagneMover LITE Configurator Utility
Additions have been made to the Motors and Nodes sections on the Configurator user
interface (UI). Descriptions of these changes follow.
Motor Defaults
Additional vehicle configuration options are available through the Motor Defaults section,
see the descriptions following Figure 19. See the Motors section of the UI Reference in the
MagneMover LITE Configurator User Manual for detailed descriptions of all other items on
the Motor Defaults Page.

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Vehicle
Figure 18: Motor Defaults Page, Vehicle Section – Linear Vehicle
Figure 19: Motor Defaults Page, Vehicle Section – Rectangular Vehicle
•Magnet array type – See the MagneMover LITE Configurator User Manual.
•Magnet array length – See the MagneMover LITE Configurator User Manual.
•Vehicle Length – The length of the vehicle in meters (see Figure 20). The default is
0.077 m [3.0 in]. See the MagneMover LITE Configurator User Manual.

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When Vehicle Shape of Linear is selected, as shown in Figure 18, this value is the
length of the vehicle as measured from end to end.
When Vehicle Shape of Rectangular is selected, as shown in Figure 19, this value is the
sum of the Fore Length and Aft Length.
Figure 20: Vehicle Sizing
•Fore Length – The length from the center of the magnet array to the front of the vehicle
(0.031 m to 0.2125 m). Only available when Vehicle Shape is Rectangular is selected,
as shown in Figure 19. The default is 0.0385 m [1.52 in].
•Aft Length – The length from the center of the magnet array to the back of the vehicle
(0.031 m to 0.2125 m). Only available when Vehicle Shape is Rectangular is selected,
as shown in Figure 19. The default is 0.0385 m [1.52 in].
•Starboard Width – The length from the center of the magnet array to the right side of
the vehicle (0.031 m to 0.2125 m). Only available when Vehicle Shape is Rectangular
is selected, as shown in Figure 19. The default is 0.0385 m [1.52 in].
If the value entered is larger than the radius of a curve motor, the Configurator displays a
warning similar to the one that is shown in Figure 21. This notice is displayed as a
reminder to verify the spacing of parallel paths to make sure that vehicles do not collide.
Figure 21: Vehicle Width Warning

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•Port Width – The length from the center of the magnet array to the left side of the
vehicle (0.031 m to 0.2125 m). Only available when Vehicle Shape is Rectangular is
selected, as shown in Figure 19. The default is 0.0385 m [1.52 in].
If the value entered is larger than the radius of a curve motor, the Configurator displays a
warning similar to the one that is shown in Figure 21. This notice is displayed as a
reminder to verify the spacing of parallel paths to make sure that vehicles do not collide.
•Magnet Array Center Offset – The distance from the physical center of the vehicle
(puck) to the forward edge of the propulsion array. Only available when Vehicle Shape
is Linear is selected, as shown in Figure 18, see the MagneMover LITE Configurator
User Manual. The default is 0.0247 m [0.97 in].
•Vehicle shape – Provides a menu that lists the available shapes for selection of the type
of vehicle. The default is Rectangular.
oLinear – Only the length defines the shape of the vehicle, the width is not considered.
The Propulsion Array Offset specifies the center of the vehicle. This option is the
typical method for setting vehicle length. Typically, vehicles are defined longer than
their physical length to account for their width in curves.
oRectangular – The width and length define the shape of the vehicle. The width (W1
and W2) and length (L1and L2) settings specify the center of the vehicle. W1+ W2=
total width of the vehicle, L1+ L2= total length of the vehicle. This option is used for
setting wide vehicle length and width.
•Number of Bogies – See the MagneMover LITE Configurator User Manual.