METHOD FOR OPERATING A SYSTEM HAVING FIRST AND ADDITIONAL MOBILE PARTS AND HAVING A STATIONARY CONTROLLER, AND SYSTEM FOR CARRYING OUT A METHOD

Abstract

In a method for operating a system having first and additional mobile parts and having a stationary controller, and a system for carrying out a method, the system has a connection between the controller and the first mobile part and between the controller and the additional mobile parts. The first mobile part detects and transmits to the controller its position and/or the position of its rear edge, and each additional mobile part detects and transmits to the controller its position and/or the position of its front edge. The controller determines the additional mobile parts most closely adjacent to and following the first mobile part and transmits the position and/or the position of the rear edge of the first mobile part to the additional mobile part. The following mobile part adds its braking distance, to which a safety distance and a safety range are added, to the position and/or to the front edge of the next-closest, following mobile part and monitors this calculated position for collision with the rear edge of the first mobile part.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A method for operating a system including a first mobile part, additional mobile parts, a stationary controller, a data exchange connection between the controller and the first mobile part, and a data exchange connection between the controller and the additional mobile parts, comprising: detecting, by the first mobile part, a position of the first mobile part and/or determining, by the first mobile part, a position of a rear edge of the first mobile part; transmitting, by the first mobile part, to the controller, determined values for the position of the first mobile part and/or the position of the rear edge of the first mobile part; detecting, by each additional mobile part, a position of the respective additional mobile part and/or a position of a front edge of the respective additional mobile part; transmitting, by each additional mobile part, to the controller, determined values of the position of the respective additional mobile part and/or the position of the front edge of the respective additional mobile part; determining, by the controller, the additional mobile part most closely adjacent to and following the first mobile part; transmitting, by the controller, the position of the first mobile part and/or the position of the rear edge of the first mobile part to the additional mobile part most closely adjacent to and following the first mobile part; adding, by the additional mobile part most closely adjacent to and following the first mobile part, a respective braking distance, to which a safety distance and a safety range are added, to position the position of the additional mobile part most closely adjacent to and following the first mobile part and/or the front edge of a next-closest, following additional mobile part as a calculated position; and monitoring, by the additional mobile part most closely adjacent to and following the first mobile part, the calculated position for collision with the rear edge of the first mobile part.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the braking distance, the safety distance, and/or the safety range take into account existing response times and/or dead times.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein a direction of travel of the first mobile part is detected and transmitted to the controller, and/or wherein a direction of travel is stored in the controller as a function of the position of the first mobile part and is transmitted to the first mobile part and/or is provided to the mobile part as a target direction of travel.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein each additional mobile part includes a computer and a camera adapted to recognize coded regions to determine the position, the next-closest, following mobile includes has a computer and a camera adapted to recognize coded regions for determining the position, and the coded regions are arranged successively parallel to a direction of rails.

20. The method according to claim 16, wherein the position of the first mobile part is detected by a camera, connected to a computer, of the first mobile part, and the position of the next-closest, following mobile part is detected by a further camera, connected to a further computer, of the next-closest, following mobile part, coded regions being arranged successively parallel to a direction of rails.

21. The method according to claim 16, wherein a safety region of the system has a volume of more than one cubic meter.

22. The method according to claim 16, wherein, for the detection of the position, the first mobile part has a camera, in a sensitive region of which coded regions are arranged successively parallel to the direction of travel.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the coded regions form a stationary coding region.

24. The method according to claim 16, further comprising evaluating a chronological sequence of detected positions to detect speed.

25. The method according to claim 19, wherein each coded region includes information relating to relative position and/or rough positioning.

26. The method according to claim 19, wherein an evaluation unit determines a distance of an image to a center of the image from images taken by the camera of a first one of the coded regions and, from the determined distance, a shift of the camera to that position and/or precise positioning of the camera, in which a viewing direction of the camera onto the first one of the coded regions and/or onto a center of the first one of the coded regions occurs as viewed from the center of the image.

27. The method according to claim 16, further comprising monitoring a direction of travel detected on the first mobile part when a distance between the position of the rear edge of the first mobile part and the position of the front edge of the next-closest, following mobile part undershoots a threshold value.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein the direction of travel detected on the first mobile part is not monitored when the distance between the position of the rear edge of the first mobile part and the position of the front edge of the next-closest, following mobile part exceeds the threshold value, the first mobile part is adapted to be controlled by a hand-held control device.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein the first mobile part is adapted to be controlled by the hand-held control device in a reverse direction, and the hand-held control device is connected to the first mobile part by an electrical cable.

30. The method according to claim 16, wherein the first mobile part determines the position of the rear edge from the position of the first mobile part.

31. The method according to claim 16, wherein the first mobile part determines the position of the rear edge from the position of the first mobile part as a function of the position of the first mobile part in the system, and different loads are picked up by the first mobile part in different positions.

32. The method according to claim 16, wherein the next-closest, mobile part determines the position of the rear edge of the next-closest, mobile part from position of the next-closest mobile part as a function of the position of the next-closest, mobile part in the system.

33. A system, comprising: rail-guided mobile parts; and coded regions extending parallel to a direction of rails on which the rail-guided mobile parts are guided; wherein the system is adapted to perform the method recited in claim 16.

34. The system according to claim 33, wherein each the mobile part includes an electric motor drive.

35. The system according to claim 33, wherein at least one of the mobile parts includes a tracking sensor.

36. The system according to claim 33, wherein at least one of the mobile parts is arranged as a rail vehicle.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0027] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a system according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] A system according to an example embodiment of the present invention is shown schematically in FIG. 1.

[0029] As illustrated in FIG. 1, a first mobile part 1 is followed by a second mobile part 2, wherein a safe distance is ensured.

[0030] For this purpose, the first mobile part 1 detects its position P1 with a first position detection system and the second mobile part 2 detects its position P2.

[0031] The two mobile parts (1, 2) are, for example, track-guided or rail-guided.

[0032] A coding region provided with coded regions is, for example, arranged along the trajectory of the mobile parts (1, 2), e.g., along the rails, as the position detection system. Each of the coded regions encodes its respective position.

[0033] The mobile parts have a respective length depending on the load picked up. It is thus possible for the first mobile part 1 to determine the position H of its rear edge and the second mobile part 2 to determine the position V of its front edge.

[0034] In addition, the first mobile part 1 detects its direction of movement R1 and its speed V1, and the second mobile part 2 detects its direction of movement R2 and its speed V2.

[0035] Direction monitoring is carried out in the first mobile part 1. The direction of movement R1 is monitored for forward travel. As soon as a reverse movement of the first mobile part 1 is detected by the mobile part itself, an error signal is generated and reported, which makes it possible to stop the mobile parts (1, 2) of the system.

[0036] Each of the mobile parts (1, 2) reports its position P1 or P2, respectively, to a controller 3. For this purpose, there is a wireless data exchange connection between the controller 3 and the mobile parts (1, 2).

[0037] To maintain the safe distance, the first mobile part 1 first reports its position P1 and, for example, the position of its rear edge H to the controller 3, which determines the next-closest mobile part 2 from all the position data received from the mobile parts (1, 2).

[0038] The controller 3 transmits the data received from the first mobile part 1, such as position P1 and rear edge position H, to the second mobile part 2.

[0039] Considering its detected speed V2 and the maximum braking acceleration available to it, the second mobile part calculates a braking distance A, to which a safety distance is also added, which takes into account existing response times, dead times, etc. The particular position that is compared with the rear edge position H of the first mobile part 1 is determined by adding this braking distance A determined in this manner to the position P2 of the second mobile part 2 detected by the second mobile part 2 itself and adding a further safety region W intended for a person. As soon as an impermissible amount of deviation with respect to this rear edge position H is undershot by the position resulting from the addition, an error signal, e.g., an STO signal, is generated and the error is reported, e.g., the drives of the mobile part are brought to a standstill.

[0040] In other words, the front edge position V of the second mobile part 2 is monitored for collision with the rear edge position H of the first mobile part 1.

[0041] If the distance between the rear edge position H and the front edge position V exceeds a threshold value s, e.g., is sufficiently large enough, the direction monitoring of the first mobile part 1 is switched off. Reverse travel of the first mobile part 1 is thus permitted. This can be used, for example, in a maintenance area or in a siding.

[0042] Reverse travel of the first mobile part 1 can be controlled with a hand-held control device. When direction monitoring is switched on, the first mobile part 1 cannot be controlled with the hand-held control device.

[0043] The specified provisions and monitoring are carried out using secure technology. Improved safety can thus be achieved, e.g., a higher safety category.

LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

[0044] 1 First mobile part

[0045] 2 Second mobile part

[0046] 3 Controller

[0047] P1 Position of the first mobile part 1

[0048] P2 Position of the first mobile part 2

[0049] V Front edge of the second mobile part 2

[0050] H Rear edge of the first mobile part 2

[0051] A Braking distance with safety distance

[0052] W Safety region

[0053] V1 Speed of the first mobile part 2

[0054] V2 Speed of the second mobile part 2