Radar measuring device with integrated safety area monitoring

Abstract

A radar measurement device configured for process automation in an industrial environment and having integrated safety zone monitoring includes a controller configured to adjust the direction of an emitted radar transmission signal so that a safety zone around an object is fully illuminated even if the object moves.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of German patent application 10 2019 204881.1, filed on April 5, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates to radar measurement technology. In particular, the present invention relates to a radar measuring device configured for process automation in an industrial environment and having integrated safety zone monitoring, the use of such a radar measuring device for monitoring objects on a conveyor belt, for example, and a method, program element, and computer-readable medium for process automation such as building and factory automation. Background Art

[0004] Radar measuring devices are used for process automation in industrial environments. Typical applications are fill level measurement, point level detection, height and volume measurement of filled / bulk materials, and surface topology measurement.

[0005] Especially when monitoring bulk materials, it may be advantageous to monitor the safety zone around the fill / bulk material. This is done using safety zone monitoring sensors. Summary of the Invention

[0006] It is an object of the present invention to provide an efficient process automation in an industrial environment.

[0007] This object is achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Further developments of the invention are given in the dependent claims and in the following description of exemplary embodiments.

[0008] A first aspect of the present invention relates to a radar measurement device configured for process automation in an industrial environment and having integrated safety zone monitoring. The radar measurement device includes a radar signal source configured to generate a radar transmission signal and transmit the radar transmission signal in the direction of an object to be monitored, such that the object and a safety zone extending around the object are illuminated. Areas outside the safety zone should be avoided, if possible.

[0009] An evaluation unit is provided, which is configured to evaluate radar transmission signals reflected from the object and the safety zone and received by the radar measuring device. Furthermore, the radar measuring device includes a controller, for example in the form of an electronic control circuit, possibly in combination with mechanical components, configured to adjust the direction of the emitted radar transmission signals so that the safety zone around the object is fully illuminated, and the safety zone is fully illuminated when the object moves, thereby enabling complete monitoring of the safety zone.

[0010] In particular, a safety zone can be an area where people or other objects should not enter, or more generally, an area where additional object recognition or object motion detection should be performed. The evaluation unit can be configured to perform object recognition or object motion detection in the safety zone. An example application is monitoring conveyor belts or manufacturing robots. If the radar measuring device detects an object in the safety zone, it can be provided that the conveyor belt is interrupted, or the robot is stopped or otherwise controlled to avoid a collision.

[0011] The term "process automation in an industrial environment" is understood to be a subfield of technology that encompasses all measures for operating machines and systems without human intervention. One goal of process automation is to automate the interaction of individual plant components in sectors such as chemistry, food, pharmaceuticals, petroleum, paper, cement, shipping, or mining. This area also includes building and factory automation.

[0012] For this purpose, a wide range of sensors are available, which are particularly well-suited to the specific requirements of the process industry, such as mechanical stability, insensitivity to contaminants, extreme temperatures, extreme pressures, etc. The measured values of these sensors are usually transmitted to a control room, where process parameters such as fill level, limit level, flow, pressure, or density can be monitored and plant-wide settings can be changed manually or automatically.

[0013] A subfield of process automation in industrial environments is logistics automation. In the field of logistics automation, processes within buildings or individual logistics systems are automated with the help of distance sensors and angle sensors. Typical applications are, for example, logistics automation systems for the following areas: baggage handling and cargo handling at airports, traffic monitoring (toll collection systems), trade, parcel delivery, or also building security (access control). The common point of the examples listed above is that each application requires the combination of presence detection with the precise measurement of the size and position of objects. For this purpose, sensors based on optical measurement methods with the help of lasers, LEDs, 2D cameras, or 3D cameras can be used, which detect distances according to the time of flight principle (ToF).

[0014] Another subfield of process automation within the industrial environment involves factory / manufacturing automation. Examples of this application can be found in many industries, such as the automotive, food, pharmaceutical, and general packaging sectors. The goal of factory automation is to automate the production of goods through machines, production lines, and / or robots—that is, to operate without human intervention. The sensors used here, and the specific requirements for measurement accuracy when detecting the position and size of objects, are comparable to those used in the logistics automation example mentioned above. Consequently, sensors based on optical measurement methods are also commonly used on a large scale in factory automation.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the controller is configured to adjust the direction and angle of the emitted radar transmission signal This ensures that even if the object moves, the safe area around the object can be fully illuminated.

[0016] According to another embodiment, the controller is configured to prevent areas outside the safety zone from being illuminated by adjusting the direction and / or the angle of the emitted radar transmission signal. Thus, energy can be saved.

[0017] According to another embodiment, the movement of the object comprises not only a translation (ie a displacement of the object) but also an increase or decrease of the object. If the object is, for example, bulk material, filling or emptying a pile of bulk material results in a movement of the bulk material within the meaning of the present invention.

[0018] According to another embodiment, the objects are objects on a conveyor belt, for example consumer goods such as bottles, or components on a production line.

[0019] According to a further embodiment, the radar measuring device has a planar antenna for transmitting and receiving radar transmission signals, the planar antenna having electronic and / or mechanical beam steering.

[0020] In particular, the radar measuring device can be configured as a level measuring device or as a limit level sensor.

[0021] According to another embodiment, the controller is configured to adjust the direction and / or angle of the emitted radar transmission signal according to the speed of the object to be monitored. For example, the safety zone can be expanded when the object moves faster.

[0022] According to another embodiment, the controller is configured to control a conveyor belt or a robot when an object is detected in the safety zone.

[0023] According to another aspect, the radar measuring device described above and below is used for object monitoring on conveyor belts. Other applications include collision monitoring around mobile equipment (e.g. cranes, robots, conveyor pipes, conveyor troughs, or autonomous, freely moving or guided units) and in and around stationary equipment (e.g. silos, storage tanks, discharge hoppers, etc.).

[0024] Another aspect relates to a method for process automation in an industrial environment with safety zone monitoring. First, a radar transmission signal is generated and transmitted in the direction of an object to be monitored, illuminating the object and a safety zone extending around it. Then, the radar transmission signal, reflected from the object and the safety zone and received by a radar measuring device, is evaluated. The direction of the transmitted radar transmission signal is then adjusted to ensure that the safety zone around the object is fully illuminated even if the object moves.

[0025] Another aspect relates to a program element which, when executed on a controller of a radar measuring device, instructs the radar measuring device to carry out the above-described method.

[0026] Another aspect relates to a computer-readable medium having stored thereon the program element described above.

[0027] The embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. If the same reference numerals are used in the following description of the drawings, they represent the same or similar elements. The illustrations in the drawings are schematic and not drawn to scale. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1A Shown is a radar measurement arrangement in a bulk material application.

[0029] Figure 1B Shown in a bulk material application with a larger bulk material pile Figure 1A Radar measuring device.

[0030] Figure 2A Shown is a radar measurement device in a conveyor belt application.

[0031] Figure 2B Shows that after the object moves Figure 2A Radar measuring device.

[0032] Figure 3 A radar measuring device in another bulk material application is shown.

[0033] Figure 4 Components of a radar measuring device are shown.

[0034] Figure 5 A flow chart of the method is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] Figure 1A A radar measuring device 100 according to an embodiment is shown. The radar measuring device 100 has radar signal sources 101, 102. The radar signal source has electronics 101 for generating a radar transmission signal and an antenna 102 for emitting the radar transmission signal in the direction of an object 105 to be monitored as bulk material.

[0036] Antenna 102 emits a radar transmission signal in the direction of bulk material 105, illuminating not only the stockpile cone but also a safety zone 106 surrounding stockpile cone 105. Area 107 outside safety zone 106 is not illuminated, as this is not necessary. Thus, as indicated by the outer dashed line and by area 108, area 107 is a "blank area," which, however, can be illuminated by a differently configured radar signal source.

[0037] The radar measuring device 100 shown is, for example, a radar sensor with a planar antenna. If the extent of the medium (bulk material) changes, the safety zone automatically adapts to the new extent of the bulk material 105 under software control.

[0038] This is for example Figure 1B , where it can be seen that the bulking cone 105 increases in size due to the filling and that the safety area 106 surrounding the bulking cone is correspondingly moved outwards, so that now the entire monitoring area 108 is illuminated.

[0039] Figure 2A A radar measuring device 100 is shown having a rotatable planar antenna that can rotate about a mechanical axis 109. In this embodiment, the radar measuring device 100 is configured, for example, to monitor objects on a conveyor belt 110. For example, the objects are bottles, other consumer goods, or manufactured goods in a factory, an open field, or a warehouse.

[0040] like Figure 2B As shown, if the position of object 105 changes, the safety zone is automatically tracked by tilting radar measuring device 100 .

[0041] Combinations of electronic and mechanical beam steering are also available.

[0042] Figure 3 Another application in the field of bulk material measurement is shown. If the bulk material 105 reaches the edge 111 of the monitoring area, the monitoring area can be automatically expanded, for example by tilting the radar measuring device 100, so that the illuminated monitoring area does not move beyond the edge 111 (here, for example, a wall).

[0043] Figure 4A radar measuring device 100 according to an embodiment is shown. Radar measuring device 100 comprises a controller 104, for example in the form of a control circuit (CPU), to which an evaluation unit 103 and a radar signal source 101 are connected. A radar transmission signal generated by radar signal source 101 can be transmitted via antenna 102 in the direction of an object 105 to be monitored.

[0044] Figure 5 A flow chart of a method according to one embodiment is shown. In step 501, a radar transmission signal is generated and, in step 502, transmitted in the direction of an object to be monitored. In step 503, a reflected signal is received by a measuring device and evaluated in step 504. Based on this evaluation, the direction and / or aperture angle of the transmitted radar transmission signal are adjusted (step 505) so that a safety zone around the object to be monitored is fully illuminated, while areas outside this zone are not illuminated.

[0045] Thus, it is possible to monitor an object or measure the fill level while simultaneously monitoring the safety zone around it. The size of the safety zone can be automatically changed depending on the state of the medium to be measured (fill level, position, speed), so that even if the medium grows, shrinks, and / or moves rapidly, a sufficient safety zone around the medium to be measured is always illuminated (but preferably not exceeded).

[0046] No additional safety zone monitoring sensors are required. The safety zone automatically adapts to changes in the range of the measured medium. The space required for the safety zone is reduced to a minimum. This reduces the number of error sources or disturbances in the process, resulting in smoother and more stable process operation. Using radar technology (e.g., a transmission frequency of 240 GHz) or ultrasonic technology, the medium can be detected three-dimensionally, allowing the boundaries of the safety zone to be clearly defined.

[0047] In addition, it should be noted that "comprising" and "having" do not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. It should also be noted that features or steps described with reference to one of the above exemplary embodiments can also be used in combination with other features or steps of other exemplary embodiments described above. Reference signs in the claims should not be considered as limitations.

Claims

1. A radar measuring device (100) configured for process automation in an industrial environment and having integrated safety zone monitoring, the radar measuring device comprising: a radar signal source (101, 102) configured to generate a radar transmission signal and transmit the radar transmission signal in the direction of an object (105) to be monitored so that the object and a safety zone (106) extending around the object are illuminated; an evaluation unit (103) configured to evaluate the radar transmission signal reflected from the object and the safety zone and received by the radar measuring device; a controller (104) configured to adjust the direction of the emitted radar transmission signal so that the safety zone around the object can be fully illuminated even if the object moves, The radar measuring device (100) comprises a rotatable planar antenna (102) for transmitting and receiving the radar transmission signal, wherein the planar antenna is used for mechanical beam control. wherein if the position of the object (105) changes, the controller (104) is configured to automatically monitor the safety area (106) by tilting the radar measurement device (100), The controller (104) is configured to adjust the direction and / or angle of the emitted radar transmission signal according to the speed of the object to be monitored.

2. The radar measuring device (100) according to claim 1, in, The controller (104) is configured to adjust the direction and angle of the emitted radar transmission signal so that the safety zone around the object can be fully illuminated even if the object moves.

3. The radar measuring device (100) according to claim 1 or 2, in, The controller (104) is configured to prevent an area outside the safety zone from being illuminated by adjusting the direction and / or angle of the emitted radar transmission signal.

4. The radar measuring device (100) according to claim 1 or 2, in, The movement of the object (105) includes translation, enlargement or reduction of the object.

5. The radar measuring device (100) according to claim 1 or 2, in, The object (105) is a filler material or a loose material.

6. The radar measuring device (100) according to claim 1 or 2, in, The radar measuring device (100) comprises a planar antenna (102) for transmitting and receiving the radar transmission signal, the planar antenna having electronic beam steering.

7. The radar measuring device (100) according to claim 1 or 2, which is designed as a level measuring device or a limit level sensor.

8. The radar measuring device (100) according to claim 1 or 2, in, The controller (104) is configured to control a conveyor belt or a robot when an object is detected in the safety area.

9. Use of the radar measuring device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 8 for object monitoring on conveyor belts, for collision monitoring around mobile equipment and in and around stationary equipment.

10. A method for process automation in an industrial environment with safety zone monitoring, comprising the following steps: generating a radar transmission signal and transmitting the radar transmission signal in the direction of an object (105) to be monitored so that the object and a safety zone (106) extending around the object are illuminated; evaluating the radar transmission signal reflected from the object and the safety zone and received by the radar measuring device; adjusting the direction and / or the angle of the emitted radar transmission signal according to the speed of the object to be monitored so that the safety zone around the object can be fully illuminated even if the object moves; If the position of the object (105) changes, the safety area (106) is automatically monitored by tilting the radar measuring device (100), The radar measuring device (100) comprises a rotatable planar antenna (102) for transmitting and receiving the radar transmission signal, and the planar antenna is used for mechanical beam control.

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