Edge-Supported Magnetic Levitation System for Flexible Steel Plates

(Experimental Considerations on Two-Degree-of-Freedom Active Control)

Abstract

　Thin flexible steel plate is used in the manufacture of home appliances and other products. Since they are conveyed by rollers in the manufacturing process, deterioration of the steel plate surface, such as abrasions, has become a problem. To solve this problem, non-contact gripping and conveyance of flexible steel plate using magnetic levitation technology has been proposed. As a method for levitating thin flexible steel plate, an electromagnet placed at the edge of the flexible steel plate is suitable. The conventional control model of the system considers only horizontal motion. This model also levitates; however, the problem is that the steel plate may fall depending on the conditions. In this paper, we proposed a two-degree-of-freedom active vibration control system that considers both horizontal and vertical directions to achieve stable levitation. Furthermore, the control performance was investigated by applying the optimal control theory to the proposed system.