Regulation technique for a large gap magnetic field for 3D non-contact manipulation

Magnetic levitation is a good choice for high precision micromanipulation. Several magnetic levitation systems have been proposed and shown to be effective for precision positioning. Most of these systems work with small air gaps and have a small movement range for levitated objects. Increasing the air gap will introduce uncertainty into the modeling and control of the system but is required for specific applications, such as micromanipulation. This paper investigates regulation methods and the control of a large gap magnetic field for non-contact manipulation. A two dimensional magnetic field analysis is performed on a system consists of two electromagnets. In order to increase the uniformity of the magnetic field and have control over the distribution of the field, the electromagnet poles are connected together through a soft magnetic iron called pole piece. The effect of pole piece is investigated through both finite element analysis and mathematical modeling. Definition of a working envelop through magnetic filed distribution is discussed. The results of 2D modeling are discussed and are extended into the 3D case. A number of pole piece profiles are proposed and their effect on the magnetic field investigated. An experimental setup is used for 3D levitated movement of a small permanent magnet. It is shown that manipulation of objects can be performed using an appropriate configuration of electromagnets, a special pole piece, and a yoke. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.