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

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11519716-B2
Application number	US-202017430571-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 29, 2020
Priority date	Feb 12, 2019
Publication date	Dec 6, 2022
Grant date	Dec 6, 2022

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.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

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

Assignees

• Sew Eurodrive Gmbh & Co Kg

Inventors

• Epp Mario

Classifications

• B61K1/02

  transferring articles to and from moving trains, e.g. mailbag catchers · CPC title

• G01B11/026 Primary

  by measuring distance between sensor and object (G01B11/0608 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B61B3/00

  Elevated railway systems with suspended vehicles (with suspended flexible tracks B61B7/00; saddle or like balanced type with monorail B61B13/06; with propelling cables and for transporting materials B65G; tracks therefor E01B25/00) · CPC title