Abstract
A floor panel has a bottom side and a walkable top side opposite the bottom side. An apparatus for detecting an object on the floor panel includes a holder that is mounted on, in, or under the floor panel. The apparatus includes a radar device configured to emit a radar signal, detect a radar echo reflected from the object, and provide a data signal based on the radar echo. The holder is configured to hold the radar device. A method for detecting the object on the floor panel includes, using the radar device, emitting a radar signal. The method includes, using the radar device, detecting a radar echo reflected from the object. The method includes providing a data signal based on the radar echo.
Claims
1. An apparatus for detecting an object on a floor panel having a bottom side and a walkable top side opposite the bottom side, the apparatus comprising: a holder that is mounted on, in, or under the floor panel, and a radar device configured to emit a radar signal, detect a radar echo reflected from the object, and provide a data signal based on the radar echo, wherein the holder is configured to hold the radar device.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the holder is mounted on the bottom side of the floor panel or on the top side of the floor panel.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the holder is mounted to a support of the floor panel.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the holder is mounted to the support of the floor panel on a side of the support.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the holder is mounted into a support of the floor panel.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the holder includes at least one of a carrier film, a carrier plate, a cup-shaped element, a funnel-shaped element, and a tray-shaped element.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the holder is attached with fastening means.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an aperture configured to at least one of block and redirect a portion of the radar signal from the radar device.
9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the holder includes the aperture.
10. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising at least one of the floor panel and a support.
11. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising the floor panel, wherein the floor panel is at least in some areas transparent to the radar signal and the radar echo.
12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the floor panel is part of a raised floor system.
13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the raised floor system complies with DIN EN 12825.
14. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a support that is at least in some areas transparent to the radar signal and the radar echo.
15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the support is part of a raised floor system.
16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the raised floor system complies with DIN EN 12825.
17. A system for detecting an object on a floor panel, the system comprising: the apparatus of claim 1; and a data processing device configured to receive the data signal from the radar device and to determine from the data signal at least one of: (i) a distance to the object with respect to the floor panel and/or a support of the floor panel, (ii) a direction of the object with respect to the floor panel and/or support, (iii) a speed of the object, and (iv) a type of the object.
18. The system of claim 17 wherein the data processing device is configured to classify the type of object to distinguish between a human and a non-living object.
19. The system of claim 17 wherein the data processing device is configured to track a movement of the object.
20. The system of claim 17 further comprising a radar reflector configured to be mounted on a side facing the top side of the floor panel, to receive the radar signal from the radar device, and to reflect a corresponding radar echo.
21. A method for detecting an object on a floor panel, the floor panel having a bottom side and a walkable top side opposite the bottom side, a holder being mounted to, in, or under the floor panel, the method comprising: using a radar device arranged within the holder, emitting a radar signal; using the radar device, detecting a radar echo reflected from the object, and providing a data signal based on the radar echo.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0032] Embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings and are explained in more detail in the following description.
[0033] FIG. 1 a simplified schematic diagram of a first embodiment of an apparatus according to this disclosure in a cross-sectional view.
[0034] FIG. 2 a schematic diagram of a second embodiment of an apparatus according to this disclosure in a cross-sectional view.
[0035] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a third embodiment of an apparatus according to this disclosure in a cross-sectional view.
[0036] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a fourth embodiment of an apparatus according to this disclosure in a cross-sectional view.
[0037] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a fifth embodiment of an apparatus according to this disclosure in a cross-sectional view.
[0038] FIG. 6 is a simplified schematic diagram of a sixth embodiment of an apparatus according to this disclosure in a cross-sectional view.
[0039] FIG. 7 is an illustration of a seventh embodiment of an apparatus according to this disclosure in a perspective view.
[0040] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a first embodiment of a system according to this disclosure in a side view.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0041] In FIG. 1, a first embodiment of an apparatus according to this disclosure is denoted in its entirety by reference numeral 10. The apparatus 10 comprises a holder 12 and a radar device 14 arranged in the holder 12. In this embodiment, the holder 12 is pot-shaped. The radar device 14 is attached to the bottom of the pot. The radar device 14 is configured to emit a radar signal in the direction of the floor panel 50 and through the floor panel 50. The holder 12 further comprises at least two openings 124a and 124b through which the holder 12 can be fastened to the bottom side 52 of the floor panel 50 using fastening means, such as screws or nails.
[0042] When the radar signal emitted by the radar device 14 is reflected as a radar echo by an object (not shown here) located on the top side 54 of the floor panel 50, and the radar echo is picked up by the radar device 14, it is possible to draw conclusions about the object 80 based on the shape of the radar echo or a data signal based thereon. In particular, it is possible to find out via the shape of the radar echo or data signal what the shape of the object 80 is and thus what type of object 80 it may be.
[0043] FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a second embodiment of an apparatus 10 according to this disclosure in a cross-sectional view. Specifically, FIG. 2 shows a raised floor system 70 comprising a first floor panel 50a and a second floor panel 50b located at a predetermined distance below the first floor panel 50a. In addition to the first and second floor panels 50a and 50b, the raised floor system 70 further includes two supports 60 to which the corners of the floor panels are attached. In this embodiment, neither the two floor panels 50a and 50b nor the supports 60 are part of the apparatus 10, but embodiments in which these components are part of the apparatus are also conceivable.
[0044] Attached to the bottom side 52 of the floor panel 50a is the holder 12 of the apparatus 10. In this embodiment, the holder 12 is glued to the bottom side 52. The holder 12 passes through a recess in the second floor panel 50b. The holder 12 is funnel-shaped and includes a bottom side 122 on which the radar device 14 is disposed. The radar device 14 emits radar beams in the form of a cone in the direction of the floor panel 50. The wall side of the funnel-shaped bracket 12 acts as an aperture 16 (or comprises an aperture 16) and limits the opening angle of the wheel cone. Depending on the inclination of the aperture 16, the aperture angle can be reduced or increased and thus a smaller or larger space can be observed with the radar device 14.
[0045] FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a third embodiment of an apparatus 10 according to this disclosure in a cross-sectional view. In this embodiment, the apparatus 10 comprises a holder 12, a radar device 14 located therein, an aperture 16, a floor panel 50, and supports 60 that support the floor panel 50 at its edges. The floor panel 50 is part of a raised floor system 70.
[0046] The holder 12 is arranged under the floor panel 50, more specifically on a side facing the bottom side 52 of the floor panel 50. In fact, the support stands on a floor 90. The aperture 16 is arranged around the holder 12 and also stands on the floor 90. In this embodiment, the aperture 16 comprises a plurality of walls (two of which are shown in FIG. 3), each extending away from the floor 90 on the side of the holder 12 towards the floor panel 50. The material of the walls does not let the radar signal of the radar device 14 pass through. In present embodiment metal was selected as the material of the walls.
[0047] The walls of the aperture 16 are arranged to block a portion of the radar beams (or radar signal) emitted by the radar device 14, thereby reducing the aperture angle of the radar cone emitted by the radar device 14. Since the walls of the aperture 16 in this embodiment are freely adjustable and can be moved on the floor 90 in all directions, the opening angle of the radar cone is also adjustable and can be changed as required. By varying the opening angle of the radar cone, it is possible, in the case of several adjacently arranged radar devices, to achieve a defined overlap or non-overlap of the radar cones close above the floor panel 50. An overlap has the advantage that multiple radar echoes may include redundant information. This can increase the overall reliability of the apparatus 10 and objects can be detected and recognized more accurately.
[0048] FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of a fourth embodiment of an apparatus 10 according to this disclosure in a cross-sectional view. In contrast to the third embodiment shown in FIG. 3, in the fourth embodiment, the aperture 16 is integrated into the support 60 of the floor panel 50. More specifically, the support 60 includes a cavity in which the aperture16 is integrated. Since the arrangement of the supports is generally aligned with the size of the floor panel 50, the mobility of the aperture16 is limited in this embodiment. On the other hand, the apparatus 10 according to the fourth embodiment has the advantage that the aperture 16 is not in the way of anything and cannot slip or tilt in the support.
[0049] FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of a fifth embodiment of an apparatus 10 according to this disclosure in a cross-sectional view. FIG. 5 shows a support 60, a first floor panel 50a, and a second floor panel 50b, wherein each floor panel 50a, 50b is connected to the support 60. A floor covering 19 is applied to the second floor panel 50b. Neither the floor panels 50a, 50b, nor the floor covering 19 and the support 60 are part of the apparatus 10 in this embodiment. In fact, the apparatus 10 in this embodiment comprises only the holder 12 and the radar device 14, wherein the holder 12 is integrated into the support 60 in this embodiment. In particular, FIG. 5 shows a holder 12 that is integrated into a cavity at the top of the support 60. In this context, the upper side of the support 60 is to be understood as the side of the support 60 to which the floor panels 50a, 50b are attached. In this embodiment, the apparatus 10 further comprises a cover 18 for the radar device 14. The cover 18 should be made of a material that is permeable to radar beams or which includes areas through which the radar beams can pass through. Furthermore, the material should be robust, since the upper side of the support 60 should be able to be loaded with heavy equipment and should be accessible. For example, the cover 18 may include a hard plastic cap.
[0050] FIG. 6 shows a simplified schematic diagram of a sixth embodiment of an apparatus 10 according to this disclosure in a cross-sectional view. In this embodiment, the apparatus 10 comprises a floor panel 50, a first holder 12a that holds a first radar device 14a, a second holder 12b that holds a second radar device 14b, a third holder 12c that holds a third radar device 14c, and a floor covering 19 applied to the floor panel 50. The floor covering 19 comprises a material which is permeable to radar beams at least in the region of the radar devices 14a, 14b and 14c. In this embodiment, the signals emitted by the radar devices 14a, 14b, and 14c are of different frequency and/or signal strength. Thereby, objects of different types can be detected more precisely. The floor panel 50 shown in FIG. 6 can be part of a raised floor system. However, the floor panel 50 may just as well be arranged directly on a floor 90, i.e., without being spaced apart from the floor 90. In fact, the floor panel 50 may also be part of a floor 90 or form or comprise a floor 90. In principle, the holder 12 or the radar device 14 can also be printed directly onto the floor panel 50.
[0051] FIG. 7 shows a schematic diagram of a seventh embodiment of an apparatus 10 according to this disclosure in a perspective view. In particular, FIG. 7 shows a raised floor system 70 comprising a plurality of floor panels 50 supported by a plurality of supports 60. An apparatus 10 is shown on the top side 54 of one of the floor panels 50, which includes a holder 12 and a radar device 14. The holder 12 includes a carrier film or foil on which a radar device 14 is printed. As can be seen from the enlarged view, the radar device 14 includes a plurality of transmitters Tx for transmitting a radar signal and a plurality of receivers Rx for receiving a radar echo.
[0052] FIG. 8 shows a schematic diagram of a first embodiment of system 100 according to this disclosure in a side view. The system 100 includes three apparatuses 10a, 10b, and 10c, each comprising a holder (12a, 12b, 12c) and a radar device (14a, 14b, and 14c), and a data processing device 110 connected to the three apparatuses 10a, 10b, and 10c. Further, the system 100 includes three radar reflectors 112a, 112b, and 112c. These are mounted on a linkage 128 on a ceiling 120 (for example, of a factory hall) and are configured to receive radar signals emitted by the apparatuses 10a, 10b, and 10c and to return a radar echo corresponding to the respective radar signals. The linkage 128 may also be used to mount lighting devices 122a and 122b, for example. After receiving the radar echoes by the radar devices 14a, 14b, and 14c and providing data signals based on the radar echoes to the data processing device 110, the data processing device 110 determines from the radar echoes or data signals at least the velocity and shape (or type) of the objects 80a and 80b located on the ground sheets 50. In particular, the data processing device 110 is able to determine from the received echoes whether the objects 80a and 80b are living objects. From this, the data processing device 110 may further infer whether a human is at risk of danger, for example, from another detected moving object.
[0053] The phrase at least one of A, B, and C should be construed to mean a logical (A OR B OR C), using a non-exclusive logical OR, and should not be construed to mean “at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C.”
[0054] Overall, the present invention is not limited by the examples of implementation presented here, but is defined by the following claims.
