METHOD FOR MEASURING DISPLACEMENTS OF OBJECT

Abstract

The invention relates to measurement technology and is used to determine the absolute displacements of objects in metallurgy, automotive industry, warehouse and production logistics, and in the automation of production. The technical result is achieved when the following steps are performed: the displacement transducer is mounted on the object; signal sources are mounted along the trajectory of the object displacement; on each section of the trajectory, an arrangement of the signal sources is provided which is determined by changing the number of signal sources and/or the distance between any two signal sources; a signal is sent to the moving object with transducer; an output signal is received from the transducer regarding the location of the signal sources located within the measurement range; the object location is determined; furthermore, the displacement is measured at a distance exceeding the length of the active zone of the transducer.

Claims

1. A displacement measuring method, comprising the following steps: installing a transducer on an object, installing signal sources along a path trajectory of movement of the object, at each path section a special arrangement of the signal sources is provided, that determines a change in a number of the signal sources and/or a change of a distance between any two signal sources; a signal is sent to the moving object with the installed transducer, then an output signal from the transducer is received with a report about a position of the signal sources that are in its measurement range; then the position of the object is determined.

2. A displacement measuring method, comprising the following steps: installing a magnetostrictive transducer on an object, installing magnets and/or electromagnets along a path trajectory of the object, at each path section a special arrangement of the magnets and/or electromagnets is provided, that determines a change in a number of the magnets and/or electromagnets and/or a change of a distance between any two magnets and/or electromagnets; the signal is sent to a moving object with the installed magnetostrictive transducer, then an output signal from the magnetostrictive transducer is received with a report about a position of the magnets and/or electromagnets that are in its measurement range; then a position of the object is determined, and the displacement at a distance greater than an active zone length of the magnetostrictive transducer is measured.

3. The method according according to claim 1, wherein magnets and/or electromagnets, light sources, heat sources, radiation sources of any kind, kinetic energy sources, pressure sources, ultrasonic waves, any material having inductive and/or capacitive physical properties, sources with encoded information are used as the signal sources.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein Hall sensors, photocells, magnetostrictive transducers, inductive and capacitive transducers, radiation transducers, pressure transducers are used as the transducers.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein a reader (processor) and a read/write head attached to it are used as the transducers, while chips and data carriers act as the signal source.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein an arrangement of the signal sources is implemented in 1D-, 2D-, 3D-, nD- or any other dimension.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein a serial number of the signal source is identified by the output signal from the transducer.

8. The method according to claim 2, wherein an arrangement of the magnets and/or electromagnets is implemented in 1D-, 2D-, 3D-, nD- or any other dimension.

9. The method according to claim 2, wherein a serial number of the magnet and/or electromagnet is identified by the output signal from the transducer.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0030] The FIG. 1 shows a device for implementing the claimed method for measuring of object displacement, which comprises the transducer 1 located on the object 2, signal sources 3 mounted along the path of the object movement 2 in such a way that there is a unique arrangement of signal sources at each path point determined by changing of the number of signal sources 3 and/or the distance between any two signal sources 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0031] For instance, as a transducer there is the magnetostrictive linear displacement transducer 1 set on a moving object. It has a displacement measurement range a. Along the object path the magnets and/or electromagnets 3 are placed. Let's consider the case when at each path section a the same number of magnets and/or electromagnets is used, but the distance between the two magnets and/or electromagnets is being changed (see FIG. 1). So at the first path section equal to the measuring range a of the magnetostrictive displacement transducer, the magnets and/or electromagnets are placed close to each other to form a first unique set. At the second similar path section with the length a the second set of magnets and/or electromagnets is located, in which, for example, the rightmost magnet and/or electromagnet is moved aside at the distance . At the third similar path section with the length a the third set of magnets and/or electromagnets is located, in which, for example, the rightmost magnet and/or electromagnet is moved aside at the distance 2, etc. Furthermore the distance at which the object is moved, exceeds the length of the magnetostrictive transducer sensitivity area. We get that at any path section opposite the transducer sensitivity area there is a nonrecurring combination of signal sources, which allows uniquely identifying the position of the object and determining its displacement.

[0032] Also, the magnets and/or electromagnets at each path section equal to the measuring range a of the magnetostrictive displacement transducer may be arranged in such a way so that the distance between the magnets and/or electromagnets remains the same, but their number is changed. So that at the first path section two magnets and/or electromagnet can be placed, at the second path there are three magnets and/or electromagnets, etc.

[0033] In this case, at any path section opposite the magnetostrictive transducer sensitivity area there is a nonrecurring combination of signal sources, which allows uniquely identifying the position of the object and determining its displacement.

[0034] An alternative version of arrangement is possible. The magnets and/or electromagnets are placed at any path section equal to the measuring range a of the magnetostrictive transducer, when not only the number of magnets and/or electromagnets but also the distance between any two magnets and/or electromagnets is changed, i.e. at the first path section, for example, two magnets and/or electromagnets are placed with the distance between them, at the second path section there are three magnets and/or electromagnets with the distance between the first and second magnet and/or electromagnet and the distance 2 between the second and third magnet and/or electromagnet, etc. The distance at which the object is moved, exceeds the length of the magnetostrictive transducer sensitivity area as well. In this case, an unequivocal identification of the position and the displacement of the object is also provided.

[0035] Data on the unique signal sources arrangement are recorded beforehand to the equipment that is used for output signal processing. When the object moves along the path with the set magnets and/or electromagnets, the magnetostrictive transducer outputs the position value of each of the magnets and/or electromagnets located opposite the object with the magnetostrictive displacement transducer. The received values are transferred to the processing equipment, which compares them with the data on the location of the magnets and/or electromagnets received previously and determines the position of the object and its displacement.

[0036] By means of the output signal from the magnetostrictive displacement transducer it is also possible to determine the numbers of the signal sources impacting on this displacement transducer or any other parameters of the signal sources, if necessary.

[0037] The increase of the distance of possible object displacement can be calculated as follows. For example, a transducer by Balluff GmbH is used as a magnetostrictive linear displacement transducer. It has a nonlinearity value of 30 m, the measurement range is 4500 mm. When using this transducer and two signal sources, taking into account that there are changes in the distance of 31 m between them at each path sector and the minimum required distance between signal sources should be no less than 60 mm, it is possible to get:

[00001]$\begin{array}{cc}\frac{\frac{4500}{2}-60}{0.03+0.001}=70645& \left(1\right)\end{array}$

[0038] unique positions of the mentioned signal sources.

[0039] Thus, the total measurement range using two signal sources is as follows:

450070645=317 902 500 mm(2)

with an accuracy of 30 m.

[0040] As a result, the method for measuring the object displacement allows increasing the accuracy of the object displacement measurement alongside the significant extension of the distance at which the object can be moved. It allows increasing the speed of information analysis received from the magnetostrictive transducer and the speed of the object position detection and its displacement over the production area that in its turn increases the efficiency of the production process as a whole. There is only one magnetostrictive transducer necessary for displacement measuring that simplifies not only power supplying but also the method of measurement. In addition for the implementation of the method, various signal sources, displacement transducers and the corresponding equipment for processing the output signal can be used, which makes it universal.