METHOD AND DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING A PRODUCTION SYSTEM FOR PLANAR OR STRAND-SHAPED BODIES

Abstract

A device for controlling a production system for planar or strand-shaped bodies comprises a measurement region and a conveying apparatus configured to convey the body through the measurement region. A transmission apparatus is configured to irradiate the body with measurement radiation in the measurement region. A detection apparatus is configured to detect the measurement radiation reflected by the body. An evaluation apparatus is configured to use the measurement radiation detected by the detection apparatus to determine at least one of: (1) a refractive index of the body; and (2) an absorption of the measurement radiation by the body. A control apparatus is configured to control at least one production parameter of a production system based on the at least one of: (1) the refractive index of the body; and (2) the absorption of the measurement radiation by the body.

Claims

1-21. (canceled)

22. A method for controlling a production system for a body that is conveyed in a conveying direction through a measurement region, the method comprising: irradiating the body with a measurement radiation in a frequency range of one of gigahertz and terahertz in the measurement region, wherein the measurement radiation at least partially penetrates the body; detecting the measurement radiation reflected by the body; and determining at least one of a refractive index of the body and an absorption of the measurement radiation by the body using the detected measurement radiation reflected by the body, wherein in at least one production parameter of a production system is controlled based on at least one of the refractive index of the body and the absorption of the measurement radiation, wherein the at least one of the refractive index of the body and the absorption of the measurement radiation is determined at a plurality of time points while the body is conveyed through the measurement region, and wherein the at least one of the refractive index of the body and the absorption of the measurement radiation is determined at different locations on the body.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the refractive index of the body is determined from a comparison of a propagation time of the measurement radiation emitted by a transmission apparatus through the measurement region when the body is positioned in the measurement region with the propagation time of the measurement radiation through the measurement region without the body positioned therein.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the body comprises a tubular shape and wherein the determination of the refractive index of the body is further determined using the propagation time of the measurement radiation emitted by the transmission apparatus through a first wall section facing the transmission apparatus and the propagation time of the measurement radiation emitted by the transmission apparatus through a second wall section facing away from the transmission apparatus.

25. The method according to claim 22, wherein, a data trend is generated using values for the at least one of the refractive index of the body and absorption determined at a plurality of time points while the body is conveyed through the measurement region, and the production system is controlled based on a detected change in the data trend over time.

26. The method according to claim 22, wherein a spatial value distribution is generated using the values for at least one of the refractive index of the body and the absorption of the measurement radiation by the body at the different locations on the body, and wherein the production system is controlled based on a detected spatial change in the spatial value distribution.

27. The method according to claim 22, wherein the body is comprised of a plastic material, wherein the production system comprises an extrusion device configured to extrude the plastic material, and wherein that at least one production parameter of the extrusion device is controlled based on the at least one of the refractive index of the body and the absorption of the measurement radiation by the body.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein the production parameter is an output capacity of the extrusion device.

29. The method according to claim 27, wherein the production parameter is a mixing ratio of at least two materials to be extruded.

30. The method according to claim 27, wherein a proportion of an additive added to the plastic material comprising body is determined using the at least one of the refractive index of the body and the absorption of the measurement radiation by the body, and wherein the production system is controlled on the basis of the proportion of the additive.

31. The method according to claim 22, wherein the at least one production parameter of the production system is regulated in a closed control loop based on the at least one of the refractive index of the body and the absorption of the measurement radiation by the body.

32. The method according to claim 22, wherein the at least one production parameter is controlled on the basis of a change in at least one of the refractive index of the body and the absorption of the measurement radiation by the body over time.

33. A device for controlling a production system for planar or strand-shaped bodies, the device comprising: a measurement region; a conveying apparatus configured to convey the body in a conveying direction through the measurement region; a transmission apparatus configured to irradiate the body with measurement radiation in the measurement region, wherein the measurement radiation is in a frequency range of one of gigahertz and terahertz and is configured to at least partially penetrate the body; a detection apparatus configured to detect the measurement radiation reflected by the body; an evaluation apparatus configured to use the measurement radiation detected by the detection apparatus to determine at least one of: (1) a refractive index of the body; and (2) an absorption of the measurement radiation at different locations on the body and at a plurality of time points while the body is conveyed through the measurement region; and a control apparatus configured to control at least one production parameter of a production system based on the at least one of: (1) the refractive index of the body; and (2) the absorption of the measurement radiation by the body, wherein the control apparatus is configured to control the at least one production parameter on the basis of at least one of: (1) a change in the refractive index; and (2) a change in the absorption over time and wherein the transmission apparatus is configured to radiate measurement radiation onto different points of the body.

34. The device according to claim 33, wherein the control apparatus is configured to control the at least one production parameter on the basis of a spatial change in at least one of the refractive index and the absorption.

35. The device according to claim 33, wherein the evaluation apparatus is configured to determine the refractive index from a comparison of a propagation time of the measurement radiation emitted by the transmission apparatus through the measurement region when the body is positioned in the measurement region with the propagation time of the measurement radiation through the measurement region without the body positioned therein.

36. The device according to claim 35, wherein the body comprises a tubular shape, and wherein the evaluation apparatus is configured to determine the refractive index using the propagation time of the measurement radiation emitted by the transmission apparatus through a first wall section facing the transmission apparatus and through a second wall section facing away from the transmission apparatus.

37. The device according to claim 33, wherein the evaluation apparatus is configured to generate a data trend using the at least one of the refractive index and the absorption determined at a plurality of time points during the conveying of the body through the measurement region, and wherein the production system is configured to be controlled using a detected change in the data trend over time.

38. The device according to claim 33, wherein the evaluation apparatus is configured to generate a spatial value distribution using the at least one of the refractive index and the absorption determined at the different points of the body, and wherein the control apparatus is configured to control the production system using a detected spatial change in the spatial value distribution.

39. The device according to claim 33, wherein the body is comprised of a plastic material, wherein the production system comprises an extrusion device configured to extrude the plastic material, and wherein the control apparatus is configured to control at least one production parameter of the extrusion device using at least one of the refractive index of the body and the absorption of the measurement radiation by the body.

40. The device according to claim 38, wherein the at least one production parameter is an output capacity of the extrusion device.

41. The device according to claim 33, wherein the control apparatus forms a closed-loop control apparatus configured to regulate the at least one production parameter of the production system in a closed control loop using the at least one of the refractive index of the body and the absorption of the measurement radiation by the body.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] An exemplary embodiment of the invention is explained below in greater detail with reference to figures. Schematically:

[0032] FIG. 1 illustrates a graphical representation of a refractive index of a tubular body ascertained with a device according to the invention or a method according to the invention plotted over time;

[0033] FIG. 2 illustrates a graphical representation of a refractive index of a tubular body ascertained with a device according to the invention or a method according to the invention plotted over an angle of rotation about the tubular body; and

[0034] FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic representation of an embodiment of a device according to the invention with the tubular body shown in cross-section.

[0035] The same reference numbers refer to the same objects in the figures unless indicated otherwise.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0036] In the diagram in FIG. 1, a curve over time of the refractive index determined according to the invention is shown for a body measured in a production system with a device according to the invention or the method according to the invention. In the diagram, the refractive index n is plotted over time t. In the example shown, the refractive index n falls over time.

[0037] In FIG. 2, a spatial curve of the refractive index of a, in particular, tubular body measured in a production system with a device according to the invention or the method according to the invention is shown. In particular, for the diagram in FIG. 2, the refractive index has been ascertained at different points distributed over the circumference of the tubular body. For this purpose, for example, a transmission and receiving apparatus combined as a transceiver has been rotated over the circumference of the tubular body, wherein measurement radiation was emitted onto the tubular body and measurement radiation reflected therefrom was measured by the receiving apparatus. The refractive index n is shown in the diagram in FIG. 2 over the angle of rotation (of the transmission and receiving apparatus. Here it should be noted that the refractive index first passes through a minimum in an angular range between 0° and 180° and then approaches its original value again.

[0038] In FIG. 3, a device according to the invention is shown by way of example with which the values according to the diagrams in FIGS. 1 and 2 can be ascertained. In the example shown, the device comprises a transceiver 10, comprising a transmission apparatus and a receiving apparatus for gigahertz or terahertz radiation. The measurement radiation in the gigahertz or terahertz frequency range is emitted by the transceiver 10 onto a tubular body 12 conveyed in its longitudinal direction through a measurement region of the device, as illustrated by the arrow 14 in FIG. 3. The measurement radiation penetrates the tubular body 12 and is reflected at different boundary surfaces of the tubular body 12, as illustrated by the arrows 14, 16, 18 and 20. A certain proportion of the radiation exits the tubular body 12 again, as illustrated by the arrow 22 in FIG. 3. In the example shown, this proportion of the radiation is reflected by a reflector 36 such that this proportion of the radiation returns back to the transceiver 10. The measurement radiation reflected at the boundary surfaces is also once again received by the transceiver 10. The measurement data from the transceiver 10 are transferred to an evaluation apparatus 24, as illustrated in FIG. 3 by the dashed arrow 26. The evaluation apparatus 24 can, for example in the manner explained above, determine the refractive index of the material of the tubular body 12. This refractive index determination can be repeated during the conveying of the tubular body 12 through the measurement region of the device, for example over a specified period of time at regular intervals, from which a diagram as shown in FIG. 1 can be ascertained. It would also be conceivable to rotate, for example, the transceiver 10 (and the reflector 36) about the tubular body 12, send measurement radiation onto different points distributed over the circumference of the tubular body 12 during the rotation, and receive the reflected measurement radiation and ascertain a spatial distribution of the refractive index therefrom, as shown in the diagram in FIG. 2. In particular when the refractive index is determined in the manner explained above, the measurement values repeat with an angular period of 180°.

[0039] The values for the refractive index ascertained by the evaluation apparatus 24 can, in the example shown, be supplied to a closed-loop control apparatus 28, as illustrated in FIG. 3 by the dashed arrow 30. The closed-loop control apparatus 28 can regulate at least one production parameter of the production system shown very schematically in FIG. 3 with the reference number 32, as illustrated in FIG. 3 by the dashed arrow 34. The at least one production parameter can be, for example, a mixing ratio of two materials fed to an extrusion device of the production system.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

[0040] n Refractive index [0041] t Time [0042] ω Angle of rotation [0043] 10 Transceiver [0044] 12 Tubular body [0045] 14 Arrow [0046] 16 Arrow [0047] 18 Arrow [0048] 20 Arrow [0049] 22 Arrow [0050] 24 Evaluation apparatus [0051] 26 Dashed arrow [0052] 28 Closed-loop control apparatus [0053] 30 Dashed arrow [0054] 32 Production system [0055] 34 Dashed arrow [0056] 36 Reflector