Apparatus, method for operating an apparatus having a mobile part movable on a movement plane, and use thereof

Abstract

In an apparatus and method for operating an apparatus having a mobile part which is movable on a movement plane and has a measuring unit, and a measuring body which is set apart from the movement plane and from the plane parallel to the movement plane that includes the measuring unit, for example, and is situated as far as possible from the movement plane, the measuring unit is adapted to determine the distance between the measuring body and the measuring unit in a normal direction to the movement plane, and the measuring body is shaped such that in the projection of the measuring body perpendicular onto the plane, e.g., the projection surface, an individual distance value is bijectively allocated to the, or to the plurality of, partial surface regions of the projection surface, which particularly do not overlap one another.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising: a mobile part movable on a movement plane and including a measurement unit; and a measurement body set apart from the movement plane and from a plane parallel to the movement plane that includes the measurement unit and arranged as far as possible from the movement plane; wherein the measurement unit is adapted to determine a distance between the measurement body and the measurement unit in a direction normal to the movement plane; and wherein the measurement body is shaped such that in a projection of the measurement body perpendicular to the plane, a unique distance value is bijectively allocated to each of a plurality of partial surface regions of a projection surface of the measurement body that do not overlap with each other.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the measurement body is arranged on a rail vehicle of the apparatus that is movable on a rail of the apparatus.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the rail vehicle is arranged as a monorail suspension vehicle.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the measurement unit is adapted to emit a light beam in parallel with the normal direction to the movement plane and to determine the distance between the measurement unit and the measurement body in the normal direction from light reflected at the measurement body.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the measurement body is shaped such that a distance increases monotonically but not strictly monotonically with increasing radial distance to a setpoint position or to a first partial surface region of the projection surface, a radial direction and a circumferential direction relating to a straight line that passes through the setpoint position or through the first partial surface region and extends parallel with the normal direction to the movement plane.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the distance as a function of the radial distance and the circumferential direction has a local or absolute minimum in the setpoint position or in the first partial surface region.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, the measurement body is shaped such that a distance in a respective circumferential angle region increases monotonically but not strictly monotonically according to a respective step function with increasing radial distance to a setpoint position or to a first partial surface region of the projection surface, a radial direction and a circumferential direction relating to a straight line that passes through the setpoint position or through the first partial surface region and extends in parallel with the normal direction to the moving plane.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the step function of a respective circumferential angle region differs from all other step functions of the respective other circumferential angle regions, all values of the step function of a respective circumferential angle region differing from all values of all other step functions of the respective other circumferential angle regions.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a radial width of the steps of the step functions of all circumferential angle regions is the same.

10. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a light sensor adapted to detect light of an illumination device arranged on the mobile part is arranged on the rail vehicle next to the measurement body in a rail direction.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the illumination device is arranged in a tube so that light emerging from the tube generates an illuminated region and/or a light spot on the rail vehicle, an extension of the illuminated region and/or the light spot being greater in the rail direction than an extension of the measurement body in the rail direction.

12. A method for operating the apparatus recited in claim 1, comprising: allocating, in a memory of the mobile part, a circumferential angle and a radial distance as deviation values to distance values related to the measurement body; determining, in a recurrent manner over time, a distance between the measurement unit and the measurement body; reading, from the memory, the deviation values allocated to a determined distance value; and determining, by a controller unit, a set value for a drive of the mobile part to control the deviation values to a setpoint value.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the allocating is performed in an initial operation of the apparatus and the determining of the distance between the measurement unit and the measurement body, the reading, and the determining of the set value for the drive are performed after the initial operation of the apparatus.

14. The method according to claim 12, further comprising transferring a load carried by the mobile part to a rail vehicle during at least one of the determining of the distance between the measurement unit and the measurement body, the reading, and the determining of the set value for the drive during the second step, a load carried by the mobile part is transferred to the rail vehicle.

15. The method according to claim 12, further comprising transferring a load carried by a rail vehicle to the mobile part during at least one of the determining of the distance between the measurement unit and the measurement body, the reading, and the determining of the set value for the drive during the second step, a load carried by the mobile part is transferred to the rail vehicle.

16. The method according to claim 12, further comprising generating a stop command for a rail vehicle of the apparatus as soon as a light sensor, arranged on the rail vehicle next to the measurement body in a rail direction and adapted to detect light of an illumination device arranged on the mobile part, no longer detects an illuminated region illuminated by the illumination device.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising monitoring whether the mobile part follows the rail vehicle in a synchronized manner or whether the mobile part has left a region of synchronization.

18. An apparatus, comprising: a rail; a rail vehicle movable on the rail and including a light sensor; a mobile part movable on a movement plane and including a measurement unit; and an illumination device and a measurement body set apart from the movement plane and from a plane parallel to the movement plane that includes the measurement unit; wherein the measurement unit is adapted to determine a distance between the measurement body and the measurement unit in a direction normal to the movement plane; wherein the measurement body is shaped such that in a projection of the measurement body perpendicular to the plane, a distance value is bijectively allocated to each of a plurality of partial surface regions of a projection surface of the measurement body; wherein the measurement body is arranged on the rail vehicle; and wherein the light sensor is adapted to detect light of the illumination device, the light sensor being arranged on the rail vehicle next to the measurement body in a rail direction.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the illumination device is arranged in a tube so that light emerging from the tube generates an illuminated region and/or a light spot on the rail vehicle, an extension of the illuminated region and/or the light spot in the rail direction being greater than an extension of the measurement body in the rail direction.

20. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the apparatus is operable using a method that includes: allocating, in a memory of the mobile part, a circumferential angle and a radial distance as deviation values to distance values related to the measurement body; determining, in a recurrent manner over time, a distance between the measurement unit and the measurement body; reading, from the memory, the deviation values allocated to a determined distance value; and determining, by a controller unit, a set value for a drive of the mobile part to control the deviation values to a setpoint value.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the allocating is performed in an initial operation of the apparatus and the determining of the distance between the measurement unit and the measurement body, the reading, and the determining of the set value for the drive are performed after the initial operation of the apparatus.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an apparatus according to an example embodiment of the present invention, in which a measuring body 4 is situated on a rail vehicle 2.

(2) FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of measuring body 4.

(3) FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of measuring body 4 from a first viewing direction.

(4) FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of measuring body 4 from a second viewing direction perpendicular to the first viewing direction.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(5) As schematically illustrated in the Figures, an apparatus according to an example embodiment of the present invention has a rail vehicle 2 which is movable along a rail 1 and to which a measuring body 4 is fastened.

(6) Rail 1 is, for example, disposed above the floor of the apparatus so that measuring body 4 is situated on the underside of rail vehicle 2.

(7) A mobile part 3 movable on the floor of the apparatus is therefore able to drive underneath rail vehicle 2, e.g., measuring body 4.

(8) In order to reach a precise position, mobile part 3 has a measuring unit 5, e.g., a laser distance-measuring device, which emits a light beam 6, e.g., vertically, and determines the distance from measuring body 4 by evaluating the reflected light.

(9) After the target position has been reached, a load is able to be transferred from rail vehicle 2 to mobile part 3.

(10) A transfer while in motion is also possible. This is because the determination of the distance of measuring body 4 also makes it possible to determine the deviation from the setpoint position, i.e., for example, from the synchronization point, and the position of mobile part 3 is able to be controlled to the setpoint position with the aid of a position control.

(11) When the setpoint position has been reached, a previously known distance between measuring unit 5 and measuring body 4 is reached as well. For example, this is the smallest distance between measuring body 4 and measuring unit 5 also for all possible movement positions of the mobile part on the floor of the apparatus.

(12) Measuring body 4 is, for example, shaped such that the distance between measuring body 4 and measuring unit 5 is bijective with surface regions of the plane defined by the possible positions of measuring unit 5. In addition, the distance increases monotonically, but especially not strictly monotonically, as the distance to the setpoint position increases.

(13) Thus, after determining the distance acquired by measuring unit 5 during a measurement in each case, the direction and the distance to the setpoint position are known as well, the accuracy depending on the distance graduation of the surface regions.

(14) To this end, measuring body 4, for example, has a stepped configuration.

(15) As schematically illustrated in greater detail in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, measuring body 4 has four circumferential angle regions, and the distance to measuring unit 5 increases monotonically, but not strictly monotonically, in each circumferential angle region as the radial distance from a surface region including the setpoint position increases. This is because this distance from measuring unit 5 is a step-shaped function as a function of the radial distance to the setpoint position.

(16) A distance value to measuring unit 5 is bijectively allocated to each plateau of the step function.

(17) The distance value is always the vertical height difference between measuring unit 5 and measuring body 4, e.g., the plateau of measuring body 4.

(18) The radial width of the first step, i.e., the radial step width, viewed from the setpoint position, is identical in each one of the circumferential angle regions. The same holds true for the next step, etc.

(19) As a result, the step-shaped function is the same, and thus identical, in each circumferential angle.

(20) The radial width of each one of the stair steps, i.e., the radial step width, is, for example, the same in each case.

(21) Light beam 6, e.g., a laser beam, of measuring unit 5 always has a vertical orientation so that it is always only a plateau of measuring body 4 that is struck by the laser beam and measured in this manner.

(22) A light sensor by which the light of an illumination device situated on mobile part 3 is detectable is situated on rail vehicle 2 next to measuring body 4 in the rail direction. The illumination device is situated in a tube so that the light emerging from the tube generates a light spot on the rail vehicle. As soon as the light spot no longer includes the light sensor, a stop command is generated for rail vehicle 2.

(23) In this manner, it is monitored whether mobile part 3 follows the rail vehicle in a synchronized manner or whether it has left the region of the synchronization.

(24) The extension of the light spot is greater in the rail direction than the extension of measuring body 4 in the rail direction.

(25) In further exemplary embodiments, another direction is used in place of the vertical direction. However, this direction is, e.g., in parallel with the normal direction of the planar movement plane of mobile part 3.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(26) 1 rail 2 rail vehicle 3 mobile part 4 measuring body 5 measuring unit, e.g., laser distance-measuring device 6 light beam