MOUNTING DEVICE AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATED DRILLING OF HOLES IN BUILDING WALLS

Abstract

A mounting device and a method for the automated drilling of holes in building walls includes the mounting device having a drilling device with a drill, an optical detection device for detecting a digital image of at least a part of the drill, and a control device for controlling the drilling device and the optical detection device. The control device evaluates the digital image to assess a condition of the drill.

Claims

1-14. (canceled)

15. A mounting device for automated drilling of holes in building walls, the mounting device having a drilling device with a drill and comprising: an optical detection device detecting a digital image of at least a part of the drill of the drilling device; a control device controlling the drilling device and the optical detection device; wherein the control device evaluates the detected digital image to assess a condition of the drill and control the drilling device; and wherein the detected digital image contains information about a color of the drill, and wherein the control device checks the color information and assesses the condition of the drill based upon a result of the color information check.

16. The mounting device according to claim 15 wherein the control device controls the drilling device based upon the assessed condition of the drill either to continue using the drill to drill holes or to initiate a change of the drill.

17. The mounting device according to claim 15 including a mechatronic installation component for guiding the drilling device, wherein the mechatronic installation component is controlled by the control device such that the drilling device and the drill are positioned in front of the optical detection device for the detection of the digital image of at least a part of the drill.

18. The mounting device according to claim 17 wherein the control device controls the mechatronic installation component to position the drilling device and the drill in front of the optical detection device such that the detected digital image includes a wear mark arranged on the drill.

19. The mounting device according to claim 15 wherein the control device performs the check by determining a proportion of blue in the color information and assesses the condition of the drill based upon the proportion of blue.

20. The mounting device according to claim 15 wherein the detected digital image contains information about an outer contour of the drill, wherein the control device checks the outer contour information and assesses the condition of the drill based upon a result of the outer contour information check.

21. The mounting device according to claim 15 wherein the control device detects parameters of a drilling process of the drilling device, compares the detected parameters with stored expectation parameters, and based upon a result of the comparison assesses the condition of the drill after completion of the drilling process and before beginning a subsequent drilling process.

22. The mounting device according to claim 21 wherein the control device detects a duration of the drilling process as one of the parameters, compares the detected duration with a limit duration being one of the stored expectation parameters, and assesses the condition of the drill after the completion of the drilling process and before the beginning of the subsequent drilling process when the detected duration is greater than the limit duration.

23. The mounting device according to claim 21 wherein the control device detects a minimum feed speed of the drill during the drilling process as one of the parameters, compares the detected minimum feed speed with a limit speed being one of the stored expectation parameters, and assesses the condition of the drill after the completion of the drilling process and before the beginning of the subsequent drilling process when the detected minimum feed speed is lower than the limit speed.

24. The mounting device according to claim 15 including an automated drill changing device, wherein the control device controls the drilling device and the automated drill changing device to initiate a change of the drill based upon the assessed condition of the drill by removing the drill from the drilling device and arranging a new drill in the drilling device.

25. A method for assessing a condition of a drill of a drilling device of a mounting device for automated drilling of holes in building walls, the method comprising the steps of: detecting a digital image of at least a part of the drill of the drilling device using an optical detection device arranged on the mounting device; controlling the drilling device and the optical detection device using a control device; and operating the control device to evaluate the detected digital image and assess a condition of the drill based upon the evaluation.

26. The method according to claim 25 wherein the detected digital image contains information about a color of the drill, and the control device checks the color information and assesses the condition of the drill based upon a result of the color information check.

27. The method according to claim 25 wherein the detected digital image contains information about an outer contour of the drill, and the control device checks the outer contour information and assesses the condition of the drill based upon a result of the outer contour information check.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0043] In the drawings:

[0044] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an elevator shaft of an elevator system with a mounting device according to the invention accommodated therein;

[0045] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the mounting device from FIG. 1;

[0046] FIG. 3 shows a digital image of a part of a drill having a bit; and

[0047] FIG. 4 shows an enlarged depiction of the bit of the drill from FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] In the following, a mounting device and a method for the automated drilling of holes in building walls in connection with the installation of an elevator system in an elevator shaft will be described. However, the use of such a mounting device and such a method is not limited to the application described and can also be used for other purposes. For this purpose, adjustments to the mounting device and the method are required which a person skilled in the art can easily carry out with knowledge in the art and the remaining description.

[0049] FIG. 1 shows a mounting device 14 arranged in an elevator shaft 10 of an elevator system 12, by means of which rail bracket lower parts 16 can be securely fastened to a building wall in the form of a shaft wall 18. For this purpose, holes 15 can be drilled into the shaft wall 18 by the mounting device 14. The elevator shaft 10 extends in a main extension direction 11 which is oriented vertically in FIG. 1. In a later mounting step, guide rails (not depicted) of the elevator system 12 can be securely fastened to the shaft wall 18 via the rail bracket lower parts 16. The mounting device 14 has a carrier component 20 and a mechatronic installation component 22. The carrier component 20 is designed as a frame on which the mechatronic installation component 22 is mounted. Said frame has dimensions that make it possible to vertically displace the carrier component 20 within the elevator shaft 10, i.e., for example, to move it to different vertical positions on different floors within a building. In the depicted example, the mechatronic installation component 22 is designed as an industrial robot 24 which is attached to the frame of the carrier component 20 so as to be suspended downwardly. In this case, one arm of the industrial robot 24 can be moved relative to the carrier component 20 and displaced, for example, toward the shaft wall 18 of the elevator shaft 10.

[0050] Via a steel cable used as a suspension means 26, the carrier component 20 is connected to a displacement component 28 in the form of a motor-driven cable winch that is attached at the top of the elevator shaft 10 to a retaining point 29 on the ceiling of the elevator shaft 10. By means of the displacement component 28, the mounting device 14 can be displaced within the elevator shaft 10 in the main extension direction 11 of the elevator shaft 10, i.e., vertically over the entire length of the elevator shaft 10.

[0051] The mounting device 14 further comprises an immobilizing component 30 and support rollers 31 (FIG. 2), by means of which the carrier component 20 can be immobilized within the elevator shaft 10 in the lateral direction, i.e., in the horizontal direction.

[0052] Two reference elements 13 in the form of cords are tensioned in the elevator shaft 10 over the entire length thereof, which elements are oriented along the main extension direction 11. The reference elements 13 are attached in the elevator shaft 10 by an installer and provide the reference for orientation and mounting of guide rails of the elevator system 12. In the mounted state, the guide rails therefore need to run parallel to the reference elements 13 and at a specific distance from the reference elements 13. From the course of the reference elements 13, the course of the guide rails and thus the target positions of the rail bracket lower parts 16 on the shaft wall 18 can be inferred. The target positions of the holes 15 in the shaft wall 18 result from the target positions of the rail bracket lower parts 16.

[0053] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a mounting device 14.

[0054] The carrier component 20 is designed as a cage-like frame in which a plurality of horizontally and vertically running bars form a mechanically resistant structure. Retaining cables 32 are attached to the top of the cage-like carrier component 20, which cables can be connected to the suspension means 26.

[0055] In the depicted embodiment, the mechatronic installation component 22 is formed using an industrial robot 24. In the depicted example, the industrial robot 24 is equipped with a plurality of robotic arms that are pivotable about pivot axes. For example, the industrial robot can have at least six degrees of freedom, i.e., a mounting tool 34, 40 guided by the industrial robot 24 can be moved with six degrees of freedom, i.e., for example, with three degrees of rotational freedom and three degrees of translational freedom. For example, the industrial robot can be designed as a vertical buckling arm robot, as a horizontal buckling arm robot, or as a SCARA robot or a Cartesian robot, or as a portal robot.

[0056] The self-supporting or free end of the robot can be coupled to different mounting tools 34, 40. The mounting tools 34, 40 can differ with regard to their design and their intended use. The mounting tools 34, 40 can be held on the carrier component 20 such that the self-supporting end of the industrial robot 24 can be brought toward said tools and be coupled to one of them. For this purpose, the industrial robot 24 can have, for example, a tool changing system which is designed such that it allows at least for the handling of a plurality of such mounting tools 34, 40.

[0057] One of the mounting tools 34 is designed as a sensor, for example, as a laser scanner, by means of which the relative location of the carrier component 20 in relation to the reference elements 13 can be determined. This can be carried out, for example, using a method described in WO 2017/167719 A1. The position of the carrier component 20 in the elevator shaft 10 can be determined from the relative location of the carrier component 20 in relation to the reference elements 13. Based on the position of the carrier component 20, it can be determined at which points of the shaft wall 18 a rail bracket lower part 16 is to be fastened. In this way, the target position of a rail bracket lower part 16 on the shaft wall 18 and the target positions of the corresponding holes 15 can be determined.

[0058] One of the mounting tools 34 is designed as a reinforcement detection component. The reinforcement detection component is designed to detect a reinforcement within the shaft wall 18. For this purpose, the reinforcement detection component can use, for example, physical measurement methods in which electrical and/or magnetic properties of the typically metallic reinforcement within a concrete wall are used to identify said reinforcement in a positionally accurate manner.

[0059] One of the mounting tools is designed as a drilling device 40 having a drill 41 similar to an impact drill. By coupling the industrial robot 24 to such a drilling device 40, the installation component 22 is designed such that it allows for a controlled drilling of holes 15 in an at least partially automated manner in one of the shaft walls 18 of the elevator shaft 10. For this purpose, the drilling device 40 can be moved and handled by the industrial robot 24 such that the drilling device with the drill 41 drills holes 15 at a specified drilling position in the shaft wall 18 of the elevator shaft 10, into which fastening means in the form of anchor bolts (not shown) for immobilizing rail bracket lower parts are subsequently driven.

[0060] A further mounting tool 34 is designed as a driving tool in order to drive, in an at least partially automated manner, anchor bolts from bins 33 into previously drilled boreholes in the shaft wall 18 of the elevator shaft 10.

[0061] A further mounting tool 34 is designed as a gripper in order to fasten, in an at least partially automated manner, a rail bracket lower part 16 to the shaft wall 18.

[0062] A magazine component 36 can also be provided on the carrier component 20. The magazine component 36 can be used to store rail bracket lower parts 16 to be installed and provide them to the installation component 22. The magazine component 36 can also store and provide anchor bolts which can be driven into prefabricated boreholes in the shaft wall 18 by means of the installation component 22.

[0063] An optical detection device in the form of a digital camera 35 is arranged in the lower region of the carrier component 20. The digital camera 35 is positioned such that the drilling device 40 and thus the drill 41 can be positioned in front of the digital camera 35 by means of the industrial robot 24 such that the digital camera 35 can detect a digital image (42 in FIG. 3) of at least a part of the drill 41. In particular, the drill 41 is positioned in several different positions in front of the digital camera 35, so that the digital camera 35 can detect a plurality of digital images of different parts of the drill 41 and/or from different viewing angles. FIG. 3 shows, by way of example, a digital image 42 of the front region of the drill 41. At its tip, the drill 41 has a bit 43 made of hard metal which is connected to the rest of the drill via a solder connection (not depicted).

[0064] In the upper region of the carrier component 20, a control device 37 is arranged for controlling the mounting device 14 and thus, among other things, for controlling the industrial robot 24, the drilling device 40, and the digital camera 35. The control device 37 is in signal connection with the aforementioned components via signal lines (not depicted). The control device 37 evaluates the digital image of the drill 41 detected by the digital camera 35 and, in doing so, assesses a condition of the drill 41.

[0065] The control device 37 is programmed such that it distinguishes between two conditions, namely the “okay” (OK) condition and the “not okay” (NOK) condition, on the basis of the one digital image 42 or the plurality of digital images 42. In the following, the evaluation of a single digital image 42 will be addressed. If a plurality of digital images is evaluated, the OK condition of the drill 41 is only recognized if the OK condition results from the evaluation of all digital images.

[0066] If the control device 37 assesses the condition of the drill 41 to be OK, the drill 41 continues to be used, i.e., further holes 15 are drilled with the drill 41. If the control device 37 assesses the condition of the drill 41 to be NOK, it initiates a change of the drill 41, which is carried out in particular automatically, i.e., without the involvement of an operator of the mounting device 14.

[0067] In order to make an automatic change of the drill 41 possible, the mounting device 14 has a drill changing device 44 which consists of a device 38 for removing a tool from a tool holder and a magazine 39. For this purpose, the magazine 39 provides new drills 41 (not depicted) which can be picked up by the drilling device 40 after the old drill 41 has been removed. The device 38 and the magazine 39 are designed in accordance with the not pre-published European patent application by the applicant with application Ser. No. 18/186,467.9 (now WO 2020/025288 A1). For changing a drill 41, the drilling device 40 with the drill 41 is first moved by the industrial robot 24 such that the drill 41 is inserted into the device 38 and thereby removed from the drilling device 40. The drilling device 40 is subsequently moved such that it picks up a new drill 41 from the magazine 39. With the new drill 41, the drilling of holes 15 in the shaft wall 18 can be continued.

[0068] The control device 37 repeats the assessment of the condition of the drill 41 at regular intervals. It repeats the assessment after drilling a specified number of holes, for example, after 8 holes.

[0069] Each time a hole 15 is drilled, the control device 37 detects a duration of the drilling process and compares the detected duration with a specified and stored limit duration. If the detected duration is longer than the aforementioned limit duration, it assesses the condition of the drill 41 before the beginning of a subsequent drilling process and replaces it if necessary.

[0070] In addition, each time a hole 15 is drilled, the control device detects a minimum feed speed of the drill 41 and compares the detected minimum feed speed with a specified and stored limit speed. If the detected minimum speed is slower than the limit speed, it assesses the condition of the drill 41 before the beginning of a subsequent drilling process and replaces it if necessary.

[0071] The digital image 42 contains information about a color of the drill 41, which cannot be depicted in FIG. 3. The control device 37 checks the color of the drill 41 and evaluates the condition of the drill 41 on the basis of the results of the aforementioned check. From the color of the drill 41, it can be deduced whether the drill 41 has become very hot during a previous drilling. In the event of excessive heating, the drill 41 turns blue, which is recognized by the control device 37. The control device 37 classifies the condition of the drill as NOK if it detects a color in the digital image 42 that is typical for an overheating of the drill 41.

[0072] The control device 37 mainly evaluates the color in the region of the tip of the drill 41. It can also carry out preprocessing in which contiguous regions of the drill 41 with a similar color are identified. This can be carried out, for example, with a so-called blob analysis. A color is only taken into account if it occurs on a contiguous surface or an overall surface with a specified and stored minimum surface area.

[0073] When checking the color of the drill 41, the control device 37 compares the color of the drill 41 with stored comparison colors that are typical for excessive heating of the drill 41. If the color of the drill 41 matches a comparison color, the condition of the drill is classified as NOK.

[0074] The control device 37 can also determine a proportion of blue of the color of the drill 41 and assess the condition of the drill 41 on the basis of the aforementioned proportion of blue. The control device 37 only classifies the condition of the drill 41 as NOK if the proportion of blue exceeds a specified and stored threshold value.

[0075] The digital image 42 also contains information about an outer contour of the drill 41. The control device 37 checks the outer contour of the drill 41 and assesses the condition of the drill 41 on the basis of the results of the aforementioned check of the outer contour of the drill 41. For this purpose, the control device 37 compares the outer contour of the drill 41 with a stored target outer contour. If the outer contour of the drill 41 deviates too greatly from the target outer contour, the control device 37 classifies the condition of the drill 41 as NOK.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 4, the bit 43 of the drill 41 has a wear mark in the form of an inwardly directed groove 47 running in an axial direction 45. The groove 47 is arranged on an outer surface of one of a total of four webs 46 of the bit 43, which are arranged at right angles to one another. The drill 41 is positioned in front of the digital camera 35 such that a digital image of the web 46 with the groove 47 can be detected. As long as the control device 37 recognizes the groove 47 in the digital image, it classifies the drill 41 as OK. If it can no longer recognize the groove 47 in the digital image, a wear on the outer contour of the bit 43 is therefore too great and a diameter of the bit 43 is thus too small to be able to continue using the drill 41. The control device 37 thus classifies the drill 41 as NOK as soon as it can no longer recognize the groove 47 in the digital image of the drill 41.

[0077] Finally, it must be noted that terms such as “having,” “comprising,” etc. do not preclude other elements or steps and terms such as “a” or “an” do not preclude a plurality. It must further be noted that features or steps that have been described with reference to one of the above embodiments can also be used in combination with other features or steps of other embodiments described above.

[0078] In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, the present invention has been described in what is considered to represent its preferred embodiment. However, it should be noted that the invention can be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described without departing from its spirit or scope.